Midnight Plane to Anywhere
by kinole009x
Summary: Months after Edward left, Bella regains control of her life and decides to travel abroad to other countries. But what happens when she finds that Edward is following her? Will she let him catch her? And furthermore, is there more danger lurking near?
1. Prologue: The Beginning

_ Prologue: The Beginning_

My bags were packed and my mind was made up. The adrenaline was pumping, but I had to admit - I was nervous and starting to second guess my decision.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time I had decided to go through with it, and it still seemed like a pretty good idea. But the truth was starting to sink in, and I wasn't just excited - I was also a bit terrified.

I was going abroad.

This was probably the most impulsive thing I'd ever done. But desperate times call for desperate measures. And the truth was, I couldn't stand being in Forks anymore. And there was absolutely no way I was going to Jacksonville.

_He_ left so many months ago and at first, I was a complete wreck. But in the past month, something changed. I couldn't stand the pity in everyone's eyes anymore; I couldn't stand feeling helpless all the time. I couldn't stand the heartache I felt every time I walked past the biology classroom, or saw a silver car or hell, even saw a tree. Everything reminded me of him. Everything. But I was proud of what I had accomplished so far. I'd picked myself up off of the ground, and I'd succeeded in becoming just a teensy bit more like my normal self. I gave up hope a long time ago ever hoping that I'd be completely back to the old Bella Swan.

I was already excelling in school, so the only thing I really needed was an attitude adjustment. I opened up to my friends again. I tried my best to stop moping (easier said that done) and hung out with them more. I acknowledged that they existed, I become thankful they they were there. Even on my worst days (and there's been plenty), I woke up and forced myself to do it all over again: breathe, smile, and communicate with others.

One day I was leafing through a vacation pamphlet at work and seeing all of the exotic places made me wonder. If only I could get away and go to places like that. Would it help me? Could it even cure me? I had been into doing different and strange things lately; motorcycles, cliff diving, etc. This would just be another thing to add to my variety.

It was worth a shot. I definitely didn't have anything to lose anymore. The only thing standing between me and paradise was Charlie and Renee. And it was easier getting past them than I would have ever thought.

For one thing, I think they were both just relieved that I was returning to normal. I think another determining factor for both of them was guilt. Charlie was guilty because I was spending my life in the tiny, rainy town of Forks where nothing ever happened. Renee was also guilty that I was living out my existence in Forks, but also because I'd spent most of my life in Arizona, and truth be told, there wasn't much there either. I think they both thought that this would be good for me. I told them it was an exclusive trip through the school. Whether they believed that one or not, I'll never know. But they let me go. They had given me some money for airfare and such, but I'd also raided my bank account. Like I said, desperate times called for desperate measures.

But there was a little hitch. There was no way I was going alone. My parents insisted that I have companions because, well, I did fall down a lot, and what would ever happen if I died? How would they find out? Very reassuring, but I suppose I was lucky that it was the summer after graduation and I wouldn't be missing any school; therefore, Jessica and Angela were accompanying me.

And that's how I ended up on this plane to England, my first destination (there would be a few - thank God for vacation packages). I leaned my head against the headrest and tried to relax, convincing myself that I was leaving all of my thoughts of _him_ and all of my sorrow behind me. I had no idea that at that very moment, there was a plan formulating, and danger close at hand.

This was only the beginning.


	2. Chapter 1: Run Away

_Chapter 1: Run Away_

"Oh my God!" Jessica squealed as we stepped into our hotel room. "Would you look at this room?" Angela's mouth dropped to the floor in silent amazement, and I had to say that even I was impressed. It was huge, elegant, and just plain fantastic. We moved in, and instead of unpacking, collapsed on the huge, fluffy, British beds. Jessica sighed in contentment. "I do believe I am moving here and marrying a Brit."

Angela snorted good-naturedly. "Oh really? And what about Mr. Mike Newton?"

"Mr. Mike Newton isn't British."

I tuned out my friends for a moment so that I could fully appreciate the moment. I tried to absorb everything, reminding myself of the five senses, and applying them all to my situation. This wasn't anything new - I'd been doing it for awhile, and I found it helped me get my mind off of...things. Smell....the amazing scent of hotel room...in England. Sight...the beautiful city of London, and a beautiful hotel room. Touch...an enormous fluffy bed that wasn't in Forks. Sound...for the most part my thoughts, with the excited chatter of my friends in the background. Taste...well, that didn't apply here.

Our first day in England was fun and I was glad that, for the most part, my thoughts were remaining where they should be and it really did seem that I had left my sorrow and memories behind in rainy, dreary Forks. Not a vampire in sight and I had not fallen down once. No near death experiences to speak of. Jess, Angela, and I were completely consumed in the city of London - we toured places (including the Tower of London, which gave me chills), saw a show, and shopped (usually a chore, but much more enjoyable in a different country, I had to admit). Every time we heard a British accent, we would pinch each other (which was all of the time). Jessica wanted every young, British lad we saw. Angela was consumed in the culture, the beauty, and the history of the city. I was more with Angela, but I also had to admit, I was trying to keep myself distracted. I went to bed that night truly content, the first time I'd felt this way in awhile. I clung to that feeling as I drifted into a deep sleep.

_"Bella? Bella!"_

_A familiar voice was frantically calling my name, and I was frantically running away from it. Where was I anyway? It appeared that I was running through the streets of London, but the strange part was...the streets were empty. Completely devoid of all life, except for myself and whoever was behind me. All I could hear were my footsteps sounding off of the cobblestones, and that same, familiar voice crying out my name._

_My lungs felt as if they were going to explode and I turned a corner, tucking myself into a little cove, hoping the owner of the frantic voice would pass me by. I was afraid - very afraid, and I didn't know why. A deep sense of despair began to spread throughout my chest, a feeling I knew only too well, and had tried only too hard to keep away._

_It had begun to rain and instinctively, I looked up at the sky. Someone was flying down, right towards me. Too weary to run away, or to even scream, I covered my head with my arms feebly, wishing to disappear, but knowing I never would. I waited, expecting to feel something crash into me, but nothing did. After a few moments, I allowed myself to look up._

_It was Carlisle._

_"Carlisle?" I breathed, surprised and trying to suppress my excitement. What was Carlisle doing in England? And why was he flying around in the rain? In the background, I could still hear the frantic voice looking for me._

_"Bella," Carlisle said, his tone friendly but firm. "Listen to me carefully. Run away, but do not run so far that you lose sight of where you should be."_

_What did that mean? I stared at him, not comprehending. He repeated himself, over and over, until all I could hear was Carlisle's warning, mingling with the frightened cries of my name..._

"Bella? Bella!"

I awoke with a start and sat right up. Jessica immediately took a step backwards, holding up her hands. "Woah there. You slept through the alarm. It's breakfast time!" She leaned towards me, excited. "Breakfast with the Brits!" And with that, she bounded off to the bathroom. I stared after her, my head spinning, feeling like it would possibly explode. After a few moments, I carefully lay back down, and covered my head with my pillow.

_Run away, but do not run so far that you lose sight of where you should be._

What did that _mean_?

So many things alarmed me about that dream I had had the night before. First of all, I could not figure out who was calling my name, or why. Why was I running, why was this person looking for me, why was the bustling city of London completely empty? Why was Carlisle there and what did his message mean? It haunted me, as much as I didn't want to admit it. I tried to push it away and to convince myself that it was just a dream, but it stayed with me for most of the morning. It had brought _him_ back into my head, and just like in Forks, everything began to remind me of him.

"Edward? Edward!"

I stopped abruptly, not even realizing that Jess and Angela were walking on without me. I don't think I even realized I had stopped walking.

"Edward?!" The voice was frantic. I stood, frozen on the sidewalk, knowing all too well how it felt, to panic, to not be able to find what you were looking for.

"Edward!" The panic had disappeared and was replaced by relief. I turned to see a young woman hugging her tiny son tightly. "Oh Edward, don't you ever run off like that again! You scared me half to death!" I watched as they walked away happily, hand in hand.

_Edward, don't you ever run off like that again. You scared me…_

And suddenly, I felt Angela's hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?" she whispered, and I snapped out of my trance. Ahead, I could see Jessica ogling at a young British man. I looked at Angela's concerned gaze and tried to relax. "Yeah…" I felt dizzy. "Yeah, I'm fine." Where did that come from?

She wrapped a comforting arm around me. "Come on," she said, gently. "Let's go see what else this fine country has to offer." I felt a little better, realizing that perhaps she understood why I had stopped. Perhaps she had understood, even if I didn't.

I had the same exact dream again the next night, and woke once again with Carlisle's voice ringing in my ears. But it was our last full day in England and I was determined not to let anything get the best of me. I would not look back at my time away and think about how I worried senselessly. No, I'd think back at my time away and remember how much fun I had. And so, although the dream did bother me, I was okay. I enjoyed myself. I was thinking about this later that night, and feeling quite proud of myself for remaining positive, while I walked throughout the hotel with Angela, looking for the ice machine.

We were about to cross through the lobby, thinking perhaps the ice machine would be on the other side. And if not, we figured we could always get Jessica to ask one of the kind, young British men to assist us. But what I saw in the lobby made me stop short and forget about ice altogether. I heard Angela inhale sharply next to me.

Someone all too familiar was standing at the check-in counter. Someone I hadn't seen in several months, someone I had wanted to see, but at the same time, wanted to avoid at all costs for the sake of my well-being.

Edward.

Edward was talking in a low voice to the man at the desk. My eyes widened, as I grabbed Angela's wrist, and ran.

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**A/N: After writing my own fan fiction and reading tons of others for years, I decided to finally just try and put one of my own out there. I'm having fun writing this and hopefully, others out there will like it, too =)**

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	3. Chapter 2: It's Not Over

_Chapter 2: It's Not Over_

The elevator was useless in this situation, so Angela and I raced to the stairs. This was not appealing, since our room was located on the fifth floor, but we couldn't be seen. At least, I prayed we hadn't already been seen. I was so shaken that I found myself tripping over the steps in my haste to get up them, Angela steadying me at times.

Once we were in the safety of the hotel room, I locked the door. Three times, due to the fact that there was more than one lock. Jessica, who was sprawled across one of the beds, looked up from the television. Once she took in our worried expressions and the way we were trying to catch our breath, she raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you guys?"

Angela stumbled over to her bed, while I slid to the floor, leaning my back against the door. I dropped my face in my hands, literally unable to speak. Finally, Angela took a deep breath and muttered, "Edward is in the lobby."

There was silence, before Jess sat up. "Edward _Cullen_ is in the lobby?" she half-shouted and Angela smacked her with an overstuffed pillow.

"Sssh," she warned. "Yes, Edward Cullen is in the lobby."

I wished they would stop saying his name.

"But, why?" Jessica whispered, taking the remote and turning off the TV. We were obviously now more interesting than whatever she was watching.

I shook my head. Why, indeed. I was panicking. I felt like the wall of recovery I had steadily built around myself since he left was about to be ripped down, simply just by seeing him and knowing he was in the same exact place as I was. I felt ice cold, but at the same time, I was sweating. I tried to think through the haze, to come up with some kind of plan. Finally, I said the only thing I could think of.

"We need to get out of here."

They both stared at me.

"We can't until tomorrow morning," Angela reminded me.

"Why not just wait and see if he comes and talks to you?" Jessica suggested, earning another pillow-smack from Angela.

"Why would she do that?" Angela countered. "Think of what she's been through, Jess. Do you think she really wants to see him?"

"But why run away?"

Another good point…why run away? I couldn't reasonably answer that, but I knew it was something I had to do. I felt some of my strength come back. I didn't want to see him. He had left me, and I had worked so hard to try and get my life back in order, and I still wasn't the same. I couldn't see him. I knew it would send me back to square one. And if he wanted to see me, why wasn't he waiting in Forks? Why had he chased me to England? That was just plain weird.

"I'm not talking to him," I said firmly, surprised that my voice came out as clear as it did. "I don't want to see him, and that's why we're going to avoid him at all costs."

Jess nodded. "Okay Bella, but we're going to have to sit tight here for the night. Our flight doesn't leave until tomorrow morning."

I felt my doubts starting to override my confidence. "But what if he comes here?"

"Then we don't answer the door," Angela said firmly, getting up and holding her hand out to me. I let her pull me to my feet. "He can't come in here, Bella. And if he does, that's break-in and we tell security. He's not coming in." She led me to my bed and sat me on it.

"That's right, Bella," Jess agreed. "He can knock, but he can't come in."

I knew they were trying to reassure me but I couldn't help but argue with them silently, thinking otherwise. If we didn't answer, he'd know. He'd know I was avoiding him. Wouldn't he? Feeling defeated already, I lay down and wrapped my arms around myself. How was I ever going to sleep tonight? "I thought it was over," I whispered.

Jessica was the one who came over to me this time. "It's not over," she said, rather bluntly. I glared at her.

"No, no," she said quickly. "I'm just saying, if he's coming here for you, then it's obviously not over. I mean, Bella, what if he wants to make things right?"

I shook my head. "Then he should have thought about that before. And coming all the way to England is a bit drastic."

She patted my shoulder. "We'll get out of here tomorrow," she reassured me.

"That's right," Angela agreed. "He can't possibly know where we're off to next. Things will get better. Don't worry, Bella!"

Don't worry, Bella. Did I ever mention that some things are easier said than done? I rolled over. I would worry, all night. I wouldn't sleep at all. I would try to fight the tiny spark of excitement I had felt at seeing him again, and fight even harder at the overwhelming sense of pain at the familiar memories that returned with his presence as well.

After a moment, I became suspicious and slipped out of bed. Angela and Jess were both sleeping and I blinked, wondering how long I had been lying there. I shut the blinds quickly, remembering the times that he had watched me sleep. It wasn't that I expected him to be perched outside the window of a grand hotel…or did I? I crawled back into bed, not even caring that I was still wearing jeans. I shut my eyes and willed myself to sleep, if only for a few hours. But along with sleep, came the dream.

It was the same dream as before, only now Carlisle wasn't merely friendly with his little message. He was outright demanding. He said it loudly, willing me to understand, in a frantic way that was very uncharacteristic of him. I tried to tune him out, but it was no use. All I could hear was his warning and the sound of the other person calling my name. And I realized that that other person was Edward. Go figure.

_Run away, but do not run so far that you lose sight of where you should be._

I woke drenched in sweat, but I could see it was morning, and for that, I was thankful. I ignored all thoughts of impending doom, and focused on getting my friends up, and packing. I was getting out of here. We were off to France next, and there was no way he was following.

I vowed that I would remain strong, that he wouldn't tear down my walls. I was going to enjoy France, just like I had enjoyed England. I was going to try and pretend he didn't exist in this part of the world. Isn't that what he had wanted? _It will be as if I'd never existed._ Isn't that what he had said?

Well, that's the way it would be.

But no matter how positive or confident I got, I could not ignore the little sliver of truth that was twisting itself in my side. He had been here. He had existed. And it was not over.


	4. Chapter 3: Elevator Reunion

_Chapter 3: Elevator Reunion_

I don't know how I did it, but a few hours later, I was sitting in the airport with Jessica and Angela, waiting for our flight to France. And I had to say, I was exhausted. Ever since we stepped foot out of our hotel room earlier that morning, I had done nothing but look over my shoulder. I was nervous and my friends knew it.

I was amazed when hours later, in the late afternoon, we made it to France and to our French hotel with no sign of Edward. The rest of the day went by just as smoothly: no Edward in sight. And I didn't even have my usual dream. I actually began to wonder if he'd lost track of me.

I was soon to learn that I was very much mistaken. I had a unique scent and he had strong senses. Of course he would find me.

The first few days went by just as smoothly as they had in England: shows, shopping, the Eiffel Tower, French accents. I managed to get distracted and to calm down a little, but I was always on my guard.

But on our third day there, my fears came true. I saw him again. Only this time, he saw me too.

It was getting late, maybe around ten at night, and Angela, Jess, and I had arrived back at the hotel. We made our way to our room and found a note taped to the door. I froze. Jess looked back at me and when it became obvious that I wasn't going to touch the note, she took it off the door herself and opened it.

"Isabella Swan," she read aloud. "An important message was left for you; please come down to the lobby to retrieve it. Thank you." She raised her eyebrow, handing it to me.

"I-I think I'll just wait and get it tomorrow," I stammered, stepping forward to unlock the door. I felt very uneasy. My hands shook and Angela had to take the key from me and do it herself.

"Bella, go get your message," Jess said. "Really, you don't know for sure that it's from…" She trailed off and I knew she was uncertain if she should say his name out loud.

"It could really be important," Angela added. "What if it's a message from Charlie or Renee? What if something happened?"

I sighed, realizing they were right. I turned and made my way back to the elevator.

The kind woman at the desk handed me a plain envelope and I thanked her absentmindedly, immediately opening it as I walked away. I had to know what it was, or my anxiety would surely strangle me. Once I was safely around the corner, I opened the note and felt my stomach drop at the familiar handwriting.

_Bella,_

_I know you saw me back in England and I know you lost no time in running away. I also believe that I deserve that after leaving. All I ask is the chance to talk to you, in person, about something very important. What I have to say can't be delivered in handwriting, in case someone was to see it. Please Bella. _

_Love, Edward_

I gaped at the note. Love, Edward? Immediately, I looked around me, expecting him to pop out of nowhere. When he didn't, I made my way to the elevator. I couldn't be sneaky and take the stairs this time, considering we were on the ninth floor of the hotel.

I joined the small crowd of people who were also waiting for the elevator to descend. I crammed the note into my pocket and tried to clear my head.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't see him face to face, at least not now, when I was still so vulnerable. What could possibly be so urgent that he couldn't write it down or have someone else tell me?

I felt a tiny bit of relief when the elevator opened and we filed in. I was so immersed in the note I had just received that I didn't realize when we stopped on the fourth floor to let people on, and I especially didn't notice who stepped on at that moment.

An exhausted businessman and his colleague stepped in, as well an obvious tourist couple on their honeymoon and a woman with her large, sun burnt family. Not to mention a vampire.

His familiar topaz-colored eyes met mine and I could not look away. Chills ran down my spine. I felt very cold. He moved forward and I couldn't help but notice the contrast between him and the sun burnt family. He was so pale, so beautifully pale.

The elevator was already crowded enough and as our new elevator-mates joined us, we stepped this way and that, trying to make enough room to fit everyone. He walked in, never taking his eyes off of me. _Snap out of it, Bella!_ I thought. I dropped my gaze.

I was in the corner of the elevator and the lady led her sun burnt family over and lined up right next to me. The original voyagers from the lobby floor were already on my other side. I was thankful that there wasn't any room for him to come near me, and so he was stuck in the corner diagonal from me. But I could feel him watching me and I grew increasingly more uncomfortable.

I had to get out of this elevator.

And at that moment, I heard a tiny _ding_ and a few people started to get out. I pushed my way to the front, and I saw Edward tense up when he noticed I was leaving. I looked over at him and the sight of him was so sad that I almost stopped. He looked crestfallen, his eyes pleading, as he whispered, almost inaudibly, "Bella…" I forced myself to look away and to step off of the elevator. It closed behind me.

It was only the fifth floor, but I didn't care. I could handle four flights of stairs, but I couldn't handle him. The very thought of him and even vampires now made me uncomfortable, as if it was some kind of surreal otherworld.

I stopped at the bottom of the flight of stairs going to the sixth floor and looked up. Was it really wise to use the stairs? Maybe there was a closet I could hide in…and as soon as I thought of it, I shook it off. Why was I hiding? I would not hide in hotel broom closets.

I took a deep breath and started up the stairs as fast as I could without losing my breath. _Breathe, Bella, breath._ I had to keep telling myself I'd be to the safe hotel room in only a matter of minutes, and then I could collapse on the ground. And stay there if I wanted to.

I was almost there, when I lost my footing. Panic hit me hard in the chest as I felt myself about to fall backwards, balancing on the tip of the stair for a few brief seconds, arms flailing. I grabbed for anything I could, but it was too late. I was falling.

And I fell into something hard and cold.


	5. Chapter 4: Darkness and Delays

_Chapter 4: Darkness and Delays_

I had fallen into something hard and cold.

And I knew from the familiar feel that it wasn't a wall; it was a vampire.

And almost as soon as whoever it was had caught me, they set me firmly on my feet and ran at full speed back down the stairs. They were gone before I could even see who they were. I stood for a moment, staring in shock down the stairs, before reality hit once again, and I took off up the stairs.

I reached my room and knocked wildly on the door, not even bothering to dig for the room key in my pocket. It's not like I would be stable enough to open the door anyway. Angela opened it a few seconds later and I stumbled in, breathless. I collapsed on the nearest bed and gasped, trying to catch my breath and ease the ache in my side.

Angela and Jess looked seriously alarmed.

"Bella?" Angela came over to me. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't even speak.

Jessica began digging through her bag and came up with a bottle of water. She threw it to Angela, who caught it, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to me. I took it and downed it, feeling myself calming down slightly. Still not trusting myself to speak, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the crumpled note, holding it out to them.

Jessica reached me first in her haste for interesting and shocking news, and scanned it eagerly, while Angela read it warily over her shoulder. "I saw him in the elevator," I croaked out.

Jessica's eyes widened. "Edward _Cullen_ was in the elevator?"

Angela gave her a look that warned her to shut up, and then turned back to me. "What happened?"

I related the entire story to them, ending with how I had been caught by a mysterious rescuer. As Jess and Angela talked to each other about these new developments, I let my mind wander.

Who had that been?

It couldn't have been Edward. Because Edward had needed to talk to me and he wouldn't have run away. But the chest and the arms had been so cold, and as hard as rock. So it had to be a vampire. And since the vampire had obviously saved me, it had to be one of the Cullens…right? I sorted out these possibilities. Were the Cullens with Edward, too? Were they all following me? In that case, was whatever Edward needed to talk to me about really as serious as his note had made it seem?

As much as I had loved the Cullens as my own family, they had left, too. I knew this wasn't their fault – it was Edward's – but it still didn't ease any pain. And how could I be friendly with any of them while avoiding and being angry at Edward? They were all so close. It all made my head spin and it seemed like there was only one thing to do.

I sat up. "We need to get out of here."

Jess and Angela stopped talking and gaped at me. After a moment of silence, Jess stood up and moved towards the door, as if she were blocking it. As if I would run out it at any second. "No way, Bella," she said. "We already went through this. We are leaving tomorrow morning…you made it through our last night in England; you can make it through this, too."

"I can't stay here!" I protested. "This is different. He knows we're here this time."

"But according to this note," Angela said as she handed it back to me, "he knew you were in England, too."

"You say we need to get out of here," Jessica continued. "But really, where would we go? This is France, we can barely speak the language, and there wouldn't be anywhere to hide…"

"It wouldn't be worth it to go and buy new tickets just to fly out tonight," Angela added.

My friends were trying to talk sense into me and I had to listen. They were right. As much as I didn't mind shelling out money for a last minute plane ticket, I couldn't expect them to. I sighed and rolled over.

"And don't forget," Jess said as she got up and locked the door. "He can knock…but he can't come in."

That didn't make me feel any better. I got up and shut the shades.

That night, I dreamed. I wasn't in England anymore; I was in Italy, our next destination. Carlisle was there and repeating his usual warning, but only this time, I could see Edward. I couldn't move and he picked me up quickly and flung me over his shoulder, breaking into a run. I could tell that he was frightened. I tried to get away from him, but to no avail.

And then he was trying to get me on a plane to Jacksonville. I fought against him, but he was stronger. We got on the plane, Carlisle's voice ringing in my ears.

_Run away, but do not run so far that you lose sight of where you should be._

Once we got to the airport the next morning, I knew there would be no peace when we reached our new destination. I had almost completley given up hope of thinking Edward wouldn't find me in Italy. Of course he would. He knew where we were going.

The weather had been terrible all day, which didn't help the situation. It had rained all night before and all this morning. Severe storms were in the works, with high winds. Now not only was I nervous about Edward finding me, I was nervous about flying in dangerous weather.

Jessica stared out the window as we waited for our flight. "Forks weather," she muttered darkly.

It was making me so uneasy to just sit there. I was highly alert, watching everyone who passed, looking for him. I wanted to see him before he saw me, so I could get away as fast as I could.

And then one of the worst possible things that could happen, happened. An animated female voice came over the intercom and announced cheerfully that all flights were being delayed, due to severe weather conditions. More information would follow, and they were sorry for the inconvenience. Dismayed, I looked at my friends.

We were stuck.

Impatiently, I looked around the waiting area, frustrated and even more anxious than before. I began to people watch to try and distract myself…the sun burnt family, someone who looked a lot like Charlie, various other people…and a beautiful blonde policewoman.

I'd seen her before. I stared after her, trying hard to figure out just _where_ I'd seen her before.

And then it hit me.

The cop disguise had really thrown me off. But as the recognition flickered in my eyes, she turned and saw me. She smirked, winked and disappeared in the crowd.

_Victoria_.

I gasped and instantly, Jess and Angela looked over at me, concerned. I looked back and tried to recover, realizing there was no way I could explain to them what I'd just seen. How was I to explain to them that I was being hunted by a crazy female vampire? I shook my head quickly. "It's nothing," I insisted. "I'm just nervous."

They looked unconvinced but went back to what they were doing anyway.

Victoria was here in France, too? I ran a hand over my face in disbelief. What was going on? My frustration grew. Even when I got away from Forks, as far away as I could, everything strange still followed me. But was that what Edward had to talk to me about? I felt torn. Part of me wanted to run away from it all, but the other part of me wondered if that was even rational anymore.

I could take care of myself, of course it was rational.

I was jolted from my thoughts by Jess shaking my arm urgently. "Is that Edward?" she whispered, pointing towards the entrance.

It _was_ Edward. I froze, as did Jess and Angela. My head was spinning.

And then, a huge clap of thunder sounded and the lights went out.

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**A/N: I'm trying to pick up the pace of the story now so that interesting things will happen; I hope everyone is liking it, I know I'm having fun writing it!**

**Any reviews/feedback are appreciated! =)**


	6. Chapter 5: Memories and Nightmares

_Chapter 5: Memories and Nightmares_

Everything went dead silent for a few moments, before the buzz of everyone's excited chatter filled the atmosphere.

Although it was daylight, it was still very dark due to the stormy weather and it was difficult to see anything in the airport – just shadows. As all these recent misfortunes began to dawn on me – Victoria, Edward, delayed flights, lights out – I became more and more afraid. Not even realizing what I was doing, I stood up.

"Um, Bella?" Angela whispered. "What are you doing?"

Good question, what was I doing?

"The lights just went out!" I whispered, hearing the panic rising in my voice.

"Well it makes sense that they would," Jessica said matter-of-factly. "They're talking about severe storm warnings…" I could tell she was squinting in the darkness, trying to see me. I was still standing. She sighed. "Really Bella, it's fine, it's just a power outage."

Right, it was _just_ a power outage. But was it the result of the weather or was it something else?

I couldn't sit there. "Why don't we go and find…"

Find what? What was there to find in a dark airport? A bathroom? A corndog? I sunk back into my chair.

"Find what?" Angela asked.

"I'd just rather not sit here and nothing," I told them bitterly.

"What else is there to do?" Jessica muttered.

I groaned, wondering where Edward had gone and furthermore, where Victoria had wandered off to.

"It'll be fine, Bella," Angela insisted. "Just be thankful that we are here, in a nice safe airport on solid ground, and not far up in the sky in the storm."

_In the nice safe airport?_ I wanted desperately to tell them that this airport was now probably one of the most unsafe airports in this part of the world…if not the entire world.

I sat and prepared to wait, keeping both eyes open and trying to think of a plan.

Too much time to think is never a good thing and it usually never solves anything. Ever. Eventually, I told my friends I was going to find something to drink, and I set off on my own. This probably wasn't the brightest thing to do, but I didn't really care anymore. I was shocked, not to mention irritated, at these new turn of events.

I looked at everyone I passed, as well as checked over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed or watched. Precautions, precautions, I thought sarcastically. I was so absorbed in my surroundings that I wasn't actually watching where I was walking. I bumped into something hard and almost went flying backwards. Whoever I bumped into grabbed my arm quickly to keep me from falling, and I looked up. I gasped in surprise.

"_Alice?_"

Sure enough, it was Alice. She looked around her carefully, before leading me away quickly, still holding onto my arm. It made me nervous…no hug, no exclamations, no bouncy energy…was this really Alice? She didn't stop until we were in a deserted corridor, barely lit by the dim light coming through the large window.

"Alice?" I said again.

"Hi Bella," she said quietly, and I was again struck at how un-Alice she seemed. She looked…exhausted.

There was an awkward silence. I didn't know what to say to her and I assumed she didn't even know where to begin.

"Bella, since you won't talk to Edward…"

I raised my eyebrows.

"…I've decided to talk to you."

I waited.

She looked around to make sure no one was lurking, before she went on in an agitated whisper. "I had a vision, Bella. You're in danger!" She paused for a moment, searching my face. "I'm assuming you already saw Victoria in that ridiculous cop costume…she's come back and she has some sort of plan."

"What was your vision?" I asked.

"She was taking you somewhere," Alice shook her head. "I didn't see too much and I haven't seen anything since. When you were in Forks, her plan was to take you somewhere far away. And since you are already on the other side of the world now, what better plan than to take you right now and lead you just a little bit further?"

I stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying.

"We need to get you back to Forks."

I opened my mouth to protest immediately but she took both of my hands and squeezed, just like the Alice I remembered. "It's the only way to keep you safe."

I found myself stepping back, shaking my head slowly. They were going to take me back?

I knew I was going to have to go back eventually, but even so, I wasn't ready to go back to Forks. I _liked_ traveling and I liked being in other places besides…Forks. I had pulled myself enough out of my pathetic slump to do something new and now I was being dragged back? I didn't think I could handle going back so soon. I couldn't handle going back to my life there, knowing I'd seen Edward somewhere besides memories and nightmares. I couldn't handle falling back to where I'd started.

Alice's eyes widened as she saw me slowly backing away from her. "No, please Bella, don't do this."

Something else clicked for me at that moment. "So Edward..." I almost choked on his name, "only came to see me because I was in danger?" Duh, Bella, I thought dully. What did you think he was doing? Coming to confess his undying love? I blinked back tears, as I felt the familiar, awful pain creeping back into my system, opening up the gaping hole in my chest.

"Of course not, Bella!" Alice sounded pained. "It's because he cares…we all _care_ about you."

Or was it because he wouldn't be able to stand the guilt if something happened? I know I was being pessimistic, but could anyone blame me? I couldn't help it.

I folded my arms across my chest, feeling very cold, as a thought struck me. "Who caught me last night when I fell down the stairs?"

A flash of lightning brightened the room and I could see Alice bite her lip before answering.

"Jasper. Edward sent him to watch after you until you were safely in your hotel room."

I froze. Jasper had caught me? How ironic that the one who couldn't control his thirst around me that one night was the one to save my life. Not that I blamed Jasper at all, I really didn't. But…wow, it had been Jasper. My wonder and gratitude instantly vanished as yet another question popped into my mind.

"So…are you all here?"

Alice looked over her shoulder again, before shaking her head. "No, just Edward, Jasper, Carlisle, and I."

Carlisle…_ Run away, but do not run so far that you lose sight of where you should be._ Aggravated, I pushed the dream out of my head.

"Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett are waiting back in Forks," Alice added softly.

I didn't have time to think much longer, because the lights flickered back on at that moment, illuminating Alice's pale, beautiful features and also illuminating…

…Edward, standing just a few feet behind her. Dismayed, I took another step back. At that moment, the lights went out again and I took the opportunity to run away, the memories and nightmares clouding my vision.

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	7. Chapter 6: Abandonment

_Chapter 6: Abandonment_

Running away was a very stupid thing to do for quite a few reasons. For one thing, it was dark and I could barely see where I was going, leaving me open to any attacks or dangerous injuries. For another thing, Alice and Edward were very fast, much faster than me, so running was basically useless. They could catch up to me in the blink of an eye if they wanted.

But they didn't and it made me feel relieved. There was no way I would be taken by force back to Forks. And in some tiny part of my mind, I think they didn't want to scare me or make me even more upset. They didn't want to lose my trust.

Where was there to even run to in an airport?

One thing I knew for sure…I wasn't going back to Forks. Not yet. I was going to Italy with my friends. I was sick of vampires, pain, and fear. I was sick of being hunted and sick of overbearing protection. I wanted calm and relaxation and…reality.

So I went the only place I really could go for the time being: back to Jessica and Angela. When I sat down next to them, they looked at me expectantly.

"Where's your drink?" Jessica asked, glancing at my empty hands.

I had completely forgotten that that's what I had set out to find. "Um, I couldn't find one."

"Not anywhere?" Jessica asked, surprised.

"Nope."

That day was probably the longest day of my entire life. The storm grew worse and worse and we sat in that dark airport until evening. It was clear that we were not going anywhere tonight. Eventually the power did come back on, but weather conditions still weren't suitable for flying. We were informed all flights would resume in the morning. But in the meantime, we were confined to the airport waiting room, listening to the wind howl for the entire night.

"At least the lights are back on," Jessica pointed out brightly.

The lights were the least of my worries.

I sat there the entire night, unable to sleep or do anything but think. Angela and Jessica had fallen asleep next to me, curled in uncomfortable positions, and the entire airport had found some way to sleep. Some people stretched out on the floor, some on the chairs. Others used each other as pillows. Others just stayed up, on their laptops or reading. I kept my eyes peeled, looking for any signs of Victoria or the Cullens, knowing they wouldn't be asleep.

I tried to assess my current situation. Part of me wondered if I should really just surrender and let the Cullens take me back to Forks. They were only trying to help me and Victoria was a serious threat. It would be the safe thing to do. But the other part of me refused, wanting to fly to Italy and farther away from Forks, to continue to set out to do what I had planned: get away and have fun. I wanted to defy the Cullens in some way, because they had left and then suddenly popped back into my life. Didn't they know how painful that was?

And furthermore, what had Edward been doing standing behind Alice? Had he been there the entire time? I bit my lip uncomfortably, remembering my disappointed voice…_so Edward only came to see me because I was in danger?_ Had he heard that?

Although I fought to keep awake, exhaustion eventually overtook me and I managed to sleep for a few fretful hours.

The next morning it was still a bit cloudy out, but otherwise fine weather to fly in. The airport bustled with life once again with excited people finally ready to be on their way. I felt a bit of relief, thinking about how I'd get away from the Cullens and hopefully, Victoria, wherever she was.

Having not left my seat all night, I really had to pee. Our flight would be leaving soon so I would be cutting it close, but I didn't like the idea of tiny, claustrophobic airport bathrooms. I told Angela and Jessica I'd meet them on the plane, and then hurried as quickly as I could to the nearest bathroom.

The nearest bathroom was right near the deserted corridor where I had talked to Alice the night before. That brought back the unpleasant memories, but I didn't have time to go find any other bathrooms. I rushed in.

When I got out, I prepared to run back, but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. Immediately, I spun around. It was Carlisle.

"Carlisle!" I said his name in surprise, although I really shouldn't have been that surprised. I knew he was here.

"Hello Bella," he said, his voice friendly but his eyes clearly anxious.

"How are you?" I asked politely, not wanting to be rude.

"I'm fine, but," he lowered his voice, "how are you doing, Bella?"

"I'm okay," I lied.

He looked around for a moment, making sure the corridor was empty, before continuing. "Bella, I know you don't want to talk to any of us or go back to Forks, but please, just give me a few minutes to explain."

"Carlisle, I really can't," I said anxiously. "My plane is going to leave very soon."

Carlisle hesitated, obviously wanting to plead with me again to talk to him, but not wanting to be the reason I missed my flight. I began to step away tentatively. "I'm sorry," I continued. "Goodbye Carlisle."

And at that moment, Edward appeared from around the corner, his eyes fixed on me and his expression worried. It unnerved me. Almost forgetting that Carlisle was there, I began to walk away as fast as I could, hearing Edward's footsteps behind me. I heard the intercom state that my flight would be leaving shortly and I decided to break into a run. Edward's hand shot out like lightning and grabbed a fistful of my shirt, the only thing he could reach quick enough.

I wasn't expecting to be pulled back so abruptly, and still trying to go forward, I tripped. I felt myself fall hard, to the ground, a blaze of white pain shooting through my right ankle as it twisted at an unnatural angle. I looked behind me, horrified, as Edward fell to his knees behind me, holding my other ankle so that I could not get away. Carlisle was still a few feet away but he wasn't looking at us, but beyond us at something else, his expression a mix of disgust and alarm. I followed his gaze, just in time to see a flash of blonde hair and blue fabric disappear around the corner.

At first I didn't register what that sudden blurred figure could have been – it wasn't my first priority at the moment. My first priority was getting on a plane to Italy. I was beyond angry and my ankle was killing me. I yanked my left ankle out of Edward's grasp. I don't know how I managed to do it, but I got to my feet and began to sprint for the terminal, ignoring the intense pain of my ankle, not even caring that I could be doing further damage. I heard Carlisle and Edward calling my name, but I ignored them.

The terminal was empty except for a few stray employees, and I ran outside, panic welling up inside of me. I watched in horror, my ankle throbbing, as the plane I was supposed to be on took off without me.

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**A/N: I apologize for being kind of vague with the airport scenes, "corridors", and "terminals". I've never flown or even been in an airport before, so I had to kind of...guess. **

**And again, any reviews are weclome! They really motivate me, and I like knowing what people think of where this is going. **

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	8. Chapter 7: A New Plan

_Chapter 7: A New Plan_

I watched in bitter shock as my plane flew away, higher and higher, until it was nothing but a little dot on the horizon. Tears filled my eyes as the full explosion of my ankle pain hit me and the realization that I had been left behind and had nowhere to go dawned on me.

What would happen now? Would I be taken captive by Victoria? Obviously that's what the blonde and blue blur I'd seen had been, I realized now. Would I be taken captive by the Cullens, back to Forks? I turned and hobbled back into the airport, where I sat, defeated, back in the airport waiting room, trying to decide what I was going to do.

Calling Charlie or Renee would be useless. There was no reason to freak them out. What about Angela and Jessica? I couldn't get a hold of them while they were still in the air. I could only imagine how worried they were. I couldn't go back into the city of Paris because what would I do and where would I go? I looked out the window where the plane had been just minutes before and when I looked back, Alice was kneeling in front of me.

I didn't want to talk to any Cullen at that point, but I couldn't go very far. I looked down at her. She gently took my ankle in her hands and I gasped in pain. "Sshh Bella," she said gently, surveying my ankle for damage. She rolled my jeans up to my knee, and I could see the swelling. It made me sick.

"Can you walk?" she asked me.

"Barely," I whispered. Alice rose and sat next to me, wrapping her arm around my waist. We got up and she acted as my support system. Slowly, we began the walk…or for me, more like limp…to the doors. Once we got over the threshold and outside, I tripped again and a brand new wave of pain shot up my ankle. I found myself sinking to the ground, unable to stand any longer. Alice sank to the ground with me, still holding on to me, as she looked around.

And suddenly, Edward and Carlisle reappeared.

My head was swimming and I could vaguely make out Alice muttering something to Carlisle. Edward said something, and Alice said firmly, "No. Let Carlisle." And then Carlisle picked me up in his arms and carried me.

The cab ride to the hotel they were staying at was a blur. I began to warm up towards Alice, who was being very understanding and considerate, and keeping Edward away from me. I realized she had not let him carry me and she made him sit in the front seat of the cab, while I sat in back with her and Carlisle. And I was thankful, because now I felt even angrier towards Edward.

Edward had made me miss my plane. Edward had made me trip and hurt my ankle. Edward had tried to keep me pinned to the ground. It didn't matter if it was for protection. All that mattered was that I was stuck in France with the Cullens and I was not happy.

Carlisle carried me up to their hotel room and sat me on a chair near the window and kneeled in front of me. Alice brought him what appeared to be a first aid kit and my stomach churned. He put his cold hands on my ankle and I gasped again, but his hands were like ice, and it felt good. Alice sat on the bed behind him, and Edward stood near the door.

I tried to hide the fact that I was upset. But really, could anything worse possibly happen? Victoria had showed up, Edward and half of the Cullen clan had showed up, I spent the entire night in an airport with practically no sleep, I missed my flight, and I injured my ankle.

Carlisle worked swiftly on my ankle, tending to it and wrapping it up. Pain and exhaustion were drowning me. I dropped my head into my hands, trying to stay awake and trying to ignore the pain.

I heard Edward take a step forward and whisper, "Bella…"

I looked up quickly and immediately wished I didn't. He had his hand outstretched towards me, and for one brief, crazy second, I actually considered reaching back. I knew he could never stand to see me in pain, especially pain that he had caused. I tried to fight the sickening, satisfied feeling that was pulling at my gut, the one that made me want to shout bitterly, _see what you've done._

His eyes were a strange mix of black and topaz and filled to the brim with an aching sadness. I knew he wanted to at least talk to me. I looked away and Alice gave him a look.

Carlisle gave me some pain pills and a glass of water, and I took it, hoping it would actually ease my pain. Then he left the room, urging Edward to follow. Alice got off of the bed, and helped me to it. She lay me down and the instant my head hit the pillow, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I awoke sometime in the evening, alone in the hotel room. The shades were closed and the room was dark. They must have been letting me catch up with my sleep, I thought. I remembered Italy at that moment, and reached into my pocket for my cell phone. Fifteen missed calls. Sighing, I flipped open my phone, hoping that my friends hadn't decided to call Charlie and Renee. I ignored the many voicemails and texts, and called Angela's cell.

She answered on the first ring. "Bella? Bella, where are you!"

"I'm still in France," I said bitterly. "Where are you?" That was an unnecessary question because I knew perfectly well where they were. It was where I should have been at that moment.

All of a sudden, I heard a scuffle and a squeak, and Jessica had taken the phone. "Bella, seriously, what is going on?" She sounded angry. "What's up with that note you sent to us?"

I was confused. "What note?"

"You know, the note you had the stewardess deliver to us, saying that you weren't going to be on the flight after all."

I grabbed a fistful of blanket. "_Really_," I said angrily. "Well I'll have you know that I didn't send any note. I was delayed…" I decided there was no need for them to know the exact details yet. "And then I saw our plane leaving."

There was another skirmish, and Angela was back. "Oh my GOD, Bella! Were you set up?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" I had stood up and was pacing around the room. "I did not send you guys that note."

"So…someone was intent on keeping you in France," Angela realized. "But who? Was it Edward?"

My head ached. "I don't know…" I didn't want to talk about him, and immediately changed the subject. "So tell me, what happened exactly?"

"Well, we were on the plane and we were getting pretty worried. And then a stewardess came over and said she had a message for us from an Isabella Swan, and she gave it to us. It said that you had decided to stay in France, for us not to worry, and to please inform the plane staff immediately so that there would be no delay. And so we called the stewardess over again and told her that you had changed plans and not to wait."

Another scuffle and Jessica was back. "Bella, that is just plain freaky. If that was Cullen, tell him he's dead."

No, Jess, he can't exactly die that easily, I thought.

"Listen, I'll find a way to get there," I said. "Just, don't worry, have fun, and whatever you do, please don't call Charlie or Renee."

"Gotcha," Jess said, and with that, the conversation ended.

I glanced at the clock. It was a little after 8 P.M. I had slept later than I thought. And time was running out, so I had to come up with a plan.

This was getting ridiculous. You'd think that I'd realize that I was in trouble, shut up, and follow the Cullens back to Forks. No way. I had changed in the months that they had left. I wasn't the person I once was. I could take care of myself. And I wasn't going to be dragged back to Forks against my will. I wouldn't go back without a fight.

At that moment, I didn't care who wrote the note. I'd find that out later. For now, I was hitching a cab back to the airport and getting a plane ticket to Italy. I slipped out the hotel room carefully, noticing my ankle still hurt, but felt a lot better. I limped to the elevator, knowing that if I took the stairs, there was a possibility I would fall and break my neck.

Part of me worried slightly about Victoria and I hoped that I wasn't walking straight into a trap. But I couldn't get myself to care more than just a little bit and that alarmed me. I decided my best bet for now would be to stay in the public eye. No matter how much either side wanted to get to me, they would not jeopardize their kind and their secret. At least I hoped not. Nothing drastic could be done while there were a lot of people around.

I relaxed a tiny bit more when I was in a cab on my way back to the airport. After I payed and was standing in front of the large building, I thought to myself how happy I would be if I never saw the place ever again. I'd spent enough time there and had enough memories to prove it.

I hurried as fast as my ankle would allow me to, to the ticket counter. The next flight to Italy was at midnight. That made me nervous – it was late, it was dark, and it was a long wait, but it would have to do. I remembered the extra money I had with me, from when I had raided my bank account. I never would have thought it would come in handy in such a drastic way. I was able to pay for yet another ticket to Italy.

I sat right amidst the waiting passengers in the waiting room again, sticking to my plan. A few things were really starting to bother me. I had roughly three hours until my flight took off. So much could happen in those three hours. And furthermore, I was really starting to worry about the note that Jessica and Angela had received and who had sent it. And above all else, where had Jasper been during today's entire ordeal? Where had he been?

I sat back and waited for my midnight plane to Italy. It could have been a midnight plane to anywhere, for all I cared.

I didn't know how successful I would be in getting away, but I had to try.

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**A/N: Thank you to all of you that have reviewed so far - they really made my day! =) Remember, any type of reviews or reactions are welcome.**


	9. Chapter 8: A New and Unlikely Companion

_Chapter 8: A New and Unlikely Companion_

Three hours dragged by. There was only one more hour to go until my flight. I was sick of the waiting area and sick of being with a large group of people. I longed to go sit somewhere quiet and by myself but of course, that would not be safe. It's not like going off to Italy alone is safe anyway, I thought moodily.

I had gotten into the bad habit of staring out the window where my plane had been hours ago, even though it was dark and there was nothing to see. I continually spaced out.

I turned my head to look around the room again and jumped when I noticed that someone was sitting right next to me.

It was Jasper, looking calm and serene. When had he gotten there? I'd never even felt anyone sit next to me.

"Hi Bella," he said quietly.

"Hey Jasper," I said, knowing I should feel a tiny bit scared considering he had almost attacked me a few months ago, but strangely, not feeling anything. "How long have you been sitting there?"

He shrugged. "A half an hour."

Was I that consumed in my own little world that I hadn't even noticed him there for that long?

There was an uncomfortable silence before Jasper spoke.

"What are you up to?" he asked me casually.

Only running away from your family and going to Italy. "Waiting for my flight to Italy," I said instead.

He nodded. There was another awkward silence before he spoke again.

"Would you mind a companion on your flight?"

I froze, not knowing what to say. Jasper was asking to come with me? And furthermore, was he letting me leave instead of trying to make me stay or trying to make me go somewhere else? Before I could stop myself, I said, "Sure."

Jasper smiled and got up. I saw him go to the counter to buy a ticket and I wondered to myself…what had I just done? But the thought of a plane ride to Italy alone had not been appealing at all and I was happy that there would be someone I knew with me. Even if that someone was part of the Cullen clan and had almost put me in danger less than a year before.

When he came back I decided to question him on it. "Why do you want to come with me?"

"Well," he said, looking a little guilty. "It's dangerous for you to go by yourself and I figured you wouldn't stay here in France, or let us bring you back to Forks." It appeared that he had not only sensed this, but accepted it as well.

"But you asked me," I said. "You asked my permission, instead of just saying you were coming."

Jasper nodded. "Well, force is never a good idea. And I thought that this would be the best way."

"What if I had said no?" I asked him. "Would you have come anyway?"

"No," he said simply. "I'm not here to force you to do anything."

I was getting suspicious, almost like this was too good to be true, but I felt a little safer. I didn't question him any further.

We got on the plane. I had to admit, Jasper was a nice traveling companion and the flight went by quicker thanks to him. I felt so calm around him. We played tick-tack-toe and hangman, laughed at the movie the airline was showing, and after awhile, I fell asleep, feeling safe knowing that he was there.

Hours later, we arrived in Italy and walked out of the Rome airport, luggage-less. It was early in the morning, maybe around three, and I had no hopes to go find Jessica and Angela just at that moment. I had stopped believing that Jasper was a spy for the Cullens and truly began to enjoy his company. It felt nice to be with someone who knew my situation and was calm about it.

My ankle was starting to hurt again and he noticed. He wrapped his arm around my waist and helped walk for awhile, as we got deeper into the sleepy city. There was barely anyone around. Eventually, we found a bench near a beautiful garden and a waterfall, and we sat. I was exhausted and glad to just sit. Jasper sat with me, quiet for awhile. Finally, he spoke.

"Aren't you afraid?" he asked me, catching me off guard.

"Of what?" There were so many things to be afraid of.

"Victoria," he said in a very low voice.

I paused and considered this. I decided it was safe to tell him how I felt. "You know, I thought I'd feel a little more afraid. I find my main concern is just…" I trailed off, not quite sure how to put it.

"Getting away from Edward?" Jasper guessed.

"Something like that," I said softly. "It sounds crazy but it's almost like I'm more afraid of getting hurt again than I am of death." What I had gone through after Edward had left was the worst kind of pain imaginable.

Jasper nodded, understanding. "That doesn't sound too crazy, actually."

I chuckled. "I'm glad."

"I have a theory, actually," Jasper said, looking out across the lit garden.

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

"I didn't mention this to the others," he said, his voice quiet. "But I think there's a reason Victoria hasn't caught you yet. I think that Victoria wants Edward, or maybe even all of us, around when she gets to you. It would add to her revenge, to see the pain she's causing all of us by killing you, just like when we killed James. Plus, she loves a good challenge." He looked down at his feet.

"Do you really think so?" I asked. I had never even thought of that before, but it did make perfect sense.

"I do," Jasper admitted. What he said really made me think. So to keep Victoria away and to keep myself safe, I would have to stay away from Edward? I would have to make sure he never found me? But how could I do this when he was so intent on seeing me?

Something else occurred to me. "Jasper, when I talked to my friends, they said that someone had sent them a fake note from me telling them that I wasn't going to be on the plane and to tell the stewardess so that there would be no delays. Do you have any idea who could have sent it?"

Jasper thought about this for a moment, before shaking his head. "No," he said apologetically. "And if it was any of us, then I had no knowledge of it. It could have been Victoria, trying to keep you in France and…" he turned towards me slowly, "…with the Cullens so that she could cause a confrontation."

My eyes widened. Again, that made perfect sense. And for the first time since I'd heard she was pursuing me, I felt a genuine stab of pure terror.

"But I don't know for sure," Jasper added. "I would hope it wasn't Alice or anyone trying to keep you off of the plane."

We fell quiet again, listening to the trickling of the fountain. My mind scanned all of the events of the past few days, trying to make sense of it all and I remembered something else. "I swear that I've seen Victoria a few times, but the thing is, it looked like her hair was blonde. I could have sworn the last time I saw her, it was red."

Jasper paused before answering. "It could be she's trying to keep up a disguise," he suggested.

"Apparently," I agreed, "since she was dressed as a cop."

I felt chills crawl down my spine and I wasn't sure if they had anything to do with the cool air or my newfound fear.

"Jasper," I said suddenly. "Thank you for saving me a few days ago…from keeping me from almost falling down the stairs, I mean."

He smiled faintly. "You're welcome. How did you know it was me?"

"Alice told me."

"Ah," he said and he became so quiet that I had to strain to hear his next words. "It was the least I could do, after what happened last fall."

My heart sunk as I realized how bitterly remorseful he was about losing control the night I got a paper cut.

"Jasper," I said gently, reaching out to him. He flinched, but I put my hand on his arm anyway. It was ice cold, even through the fabric of his shirt. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."

"Of course it was my fault," he whispered. "All of the others have amazing self-control. I almost blew it."

"I think that you have more self control than you realize," I tried to encourage him. "And I don't want you to feel bad about it anymore." I tried to be stern. "I forgive you and that's all that matters."

"Really?" He turned to look at me. "You don't think I'm some sort of freak?"

His words got to me and reminded me of Edward and how he always thought of himself as a monster.

"Of course I don't," I smiled, hoping I was getting through to him.

He smiled gratefully and covered the hand I had placed on his arm with his own. Although it was cold, it made me feel calm. We sat there for a long time, finding comfort in each other's company and in the pleasant, evening air. I tried to relax, forcing myself not to think of what was to come in the next few days. I tried not to think about what Victoria was up to and what Edward, Alice, and Carlisle were thinking now that they knew I was gone again.

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**A/N: I just wanted to state that there is no romantic relationship forming between Jasper and Bella. It's purely a brotherly/sisterly friendship. This is definitely a Bella and Edward story and I promise, Edward will appear in it a lot more in the upcoming chapters.**

**Reviews are amazing =)**


	10. Chapter 9: Confrontation at the Ball

_Chapter 9: Confrontation at the Ball_

I sat with Jasper until the early morning hours, until he said he should probably escort me to my hotel. Sighing, I allowed him to lead me off. I told him the name of the hotel and he said it wasn't far. We walked for maybe ten minutes and he found it instantly. I was impressed by his knowledge of the city of Rome.

At the doors, I turned back to Jasper. "What will you do?" I asked him, knowing I was about to be reunited with my friends, but had no idea where he was going to go.

He smiled slightly and shrugged. "I know the city, I'll find something."

"Okay," I said uncertainly, sticking out my hand for a handshake. "Thank you for being my companion."

He took my hand and shook, but it felt too formal. Before I knew what I was doing, I had hugged him. He tensed for a moment, before relaxing and hugging me back. "Thank you for trusting me," he replied.

I walked into the lobby and informed the lady at the desk that I was Isabella Swan and that I was a late arrival. She gave me my room number and room key. Wearily, I took the elevator up to the fifth floor (at least it wasn't the ninth floor, I thought grimly) and found our room. I lifted my hand to knock, but before my hand even made contact with the door, it flung open and I was pulled in rather ungracefully.

Jessica and Angela had both locked their arms around me in a tight group hug and were not letting go. Both were talking over each other and I couldn't make out what either one was saying.

"Halt!" I tried to throw up my hands, but couldn't because they were pinned tightly to my side. "Sit and I'll tell you guys everything." I knew they were dying for details. So we all crammed onto the same bed and I told my tale, for the most part, leaving out the parts that involved Victoria and a lot that involved Jasper. When I finished, they were amazed.

"Wow," breathed Jessica. "Bella, I never would have thought you were so…wild."

Missing your plane and rebooking it in the middle of the night was hardly what I would call wild…more like aggravating.

"I'd still like to know who sent us that note," Angela mentioned. "That was so…strange."

I nodded. I would have liked to know that as well, but I didn't want to think about it. I tried to get them to tell me what they had been doing, besides worrying about me.

"Oh!" Jess exclaimed after I had asked, waving her arms frantically. "Big news! Tonight…" she paused for dramatic effect. "We're going to a ball!"

I stared at her, not really comprehending. "Excuse me?"

"We're going to a ball!"

"Wait – _we're_?"

"Yes Bella, all three of us."

"How did you get invited to a ball?" I asked as dread swirled in the pit of my stomach.

Jessica got off of the bed and began walking around the room excitedly. "I met a guy," she informed us.

"You've only been in Italy one day and you already met a guy?"

"Mmhmm," Jess said. "He's this classy Italian guy. And he invited us." I looked over at Angela, who rolled her eyes.

"Is that really safe?" I asked. "I mean, what if this guy is some kind of creeper?"

"He's not, Bella," she insisted. "He's from a very well-known and wealthy Italian family."

A ball. Lovely. A ball was not that much different from a prom in my eyes. I tried to get myself out of it.

"I don't have anything to wear to a ball," I stated.

"Not a problem," Jess said. "Luckily, I brought dresses."

I stared at her. "_Why?_"

She smiled knowingly. "In case any classy Italian guys invited me to their ball."

I was so very much against the idea of dressing up and going to a ball, but it was obvious that I wasn't going to get out of this one. And I wasn't going to sit in the hotel room, all alone and vulnerable to an attack. Maybe the ball would be good for me, I decided. There were sure to be a lot of people at a ball, and therefore, it might lessen the possibility of a vampire attack. And furthermore, the Cullens wouldn't think to find me at a ball. What a perfect plan. I kept convincing myself of this as we all settled in to get some sleep.

By the time evening arrived, I felt positively ill at the prospect of dressing up and dancing. Well, no matter, I thought. I just wouldn't dance. I shimmied into Jessica's little black dress and heels and let my friends curl my hair and make up my face. Ridiculous, I thought to myself.

"You do know my mascara will be all over my face and I'll have two broken ankles by the end of the night, right?" I asked them. My ankle was miraculously a lot better, but it still hurt if I put too much pressure on it. Wearing heels was about equivalent to a death sentence.

"Bella, stop, you look amazing," Angela assured me, as they led me out of the hotel room to my doom.

As we stepped out of the cab in front of the "classy Italian guy's" place, I couldn't help but gawk. It was a huge, elegant, Italian mansion.

I was getting nervous. "Are you absolutely sure it's okay that we're here, Jess? I feel like an intruder."

"Don't be silly, Bella," she said, motioning for us to follow her. People were already walking through the double doors.

I groaned and Angela giggled. "Just try and have fun, Bella. It's not every day that you get to go to some fancy Italian ball, is it?"

I had to admit, she had a point.

"What's his name?" I asked suddenly.

"Angelo," Jessica replied and I could tell she was grinning like a fool.

"And how old is this Angelo?"

"Only a few years older."

Angela and I exchanged glances.

"He's young you guys, I swear." Jessica led us into a big, lovely hall, and further, into an even bigger and grander ballroom.

And I had to admit, much to my surprise, that the ball really wasn't that bad. I hung out with Angela most of the time, watching in amusement as Jessica fraternized with the classy Italian guys. We met Angelo, and he was very pleasant and welcomed us to his home. I hid Jessica's heels under our table and enjoyed the sensation of being barefoot. We tried to stick near the tables with food, for the most part.

I hadn't planned on dancing, but was asked a few times by innocent, Italian guys, and feeling bad, I accepted. It was a slow waltz kind of dance, something we definitely did not do back home in Forks. I stumbled a lot, but the Italian guys were friendly and twirled me around the ballroom so that I didn't have to do much. As much as I wanted to go somewhere quiet, being in the center of the festivities was my best bet.

I was on my third dance when it happened.

My eyes had happened to wander to some random spot in the room and I saw Carlisle, in an evening suit, a few feet away, talking with Angelo. I almost stopped right there, but convinced my feet to keep moving. What was Carlisle doing here? My stomach began to churn dangerously as I tried to piece it together.

And at that moment, I saw an arm reach over my shoulder and gently tap the Italian guy I was dancing with on the shoulder. Stunned, I looked behind me and saw Edward.

He said something to the Italian guy in beautiful, fluent Italian, and the guy nodded and smiled pleasantly, handing me over. My mouth dropped open and my eyes widened. _No_, I thought. _No!_ I wanted to plead with the Italian guy to keep dancing with me, that I couldn't be handed over so easily, but I didn't speak any Italian and the guy was already drifting away.

Warily, I turned to meet Edward's gaze. I could run, I thought. I'd practically perfected that notion, running away from Edward. But something in his eyes kept me rooted to the spot. I noticed that he was as beautiful as ever, wearing a black evening suit that made his pale skin stand out and his eyes glow. But how had he found me here? Was this simply a coincidence?

He put one hand on my waist and I felt involuntary chills run down spine. I let him take my hand and I put my other one stiffly on his shoulder. It was formal enough, and I decided I could take two minutes of that. Maybe. I hoped he couldn't tell that I was trembling. And then, we started to move.

I refused to look him in the eye, because I didn't want to be captivated. I didn't want his intense, lovely eyes to have that power over me, to make my heartbeat race, to make my knees weak. I didn't want to remember the way he had left me in the woods, the way he had told me he didn't want me.

He didn't _want_ me.

A hundred emotions rushed through my system. On second thought, I couldn't take two minutes of this. I would deteriorate in his hands. Everything I'd worked for in the past few months, every ounce of strength I'd built up and every bit of logic I'd stored, could come crashing down and I would be the way I was before. I couldn't do it all over again.

I snapped out of my thoughts when he squeezed my hand, forcing me to look up and meet his eyes. And I couldn't look away. I couldn't breathe.

I don't know what I expected to see in his eyes…frustration perhaps? But I saw something else instead. His eyes were full of endless pain and sadness, and he did not hide it. It was like he was trying to communicate something to me.

And then he spoke. In the softest voice, laced with despair, he whispered, "Bella, talk to me."

"I can't dance and talk at the same time," I found myself saying immediately, as if it would get me out of both deeds.

He looked at me for a moment, before gently pulling me up and setting me on his feet. This reminded me too much of another time, of prom. This was too close for me, too close to other memories and too close physically. If he were not holding me up, I swear I would have fallen down.

"Why are you so afraid?" he asked me quietly.

"Because you left," I said bitterly. How could I tell him about the nightmares, the empty hole in my chest, the intense pain that seemed like it would never leave? How could I tell him that I couldn't even think his name for the first few months, or it would send me back into a downward spiral? Tears burned my eyes as everything came back. Feeling my pulse racing, I stepped off of his feet, back to the cold, solid ballroom floor. I had put a few inches of distance between us and it made me feel slightly more in control.

A look of pure agony crossed his features. "You don't know how much I regret that."

I was desperately trying to fight back the tears threatening to spill. I couldn't talk about it without falling apart. "Please Edward, just say what you came here to say."

He paused for a moment, looking like he'd rather talk about us. But instead, he told me what he had originally came to tell me.

"I'm sure you know by now that Victoria is tracking you down. Alice had a vision, Bella, and she's dangerous, more dangerous than ever. She'll stop at nothing to get to you, to avenge James. That's why you need to come back to Forks with us."

"No," I said through clenched teeth.

"Bella, please, don't be difficult," he said softly. "I'm trying to help you."

"I don't want your help," I said coldly, completely forgetting my fear of Victoria and focusing on being independent, being strong.

"You need it," he said in a low, frustrated tone.

"I don't need anything from you," I said, my voice strained, and I realized what a lie that was. I still felt like I needed him. I still loved him. It was pathetic, but true.

This conversation with Edward was draining me emotionally and I felt that at any moment, I would break down. The song ended and Alice rushed over at that moment, probably noticing that we had upset each other.

He looked at me one more time, his eyes burning a hole through me. And then he took a beautiful red rose out of his pocket and taking my hand, placed it gently in my palm. I could see his heart breaking in his eyes and it was killing me. "You can run from me, Bella. But you can't keep me from protecting you, and you can't hide from the way you know I feel about you." He turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd.

I stared after him numbly. The way he had just looked almost – _almost_ – made me feel like it had been as bad for him as it had been for me. I bit down on my lip, feeling a single, stray tear make its way down my face. Gently, Alice led me off of the dance floor and to a corner.

"Bella, it's okay," she said softly, wrapping me in a hug. She held me for a minute before pulling back. "Oh Bella honey, you're squishing your rose." She gently took it from my iron grasp and straightened the petals out. She looked at it thoughtfully for a moment while I stared at it dully.

"I know you're finding it hard to believe," she said. "But Edward…" she paused, as if she were unsure of how to say what she wanted to say. "He loves you more than anything. I know it." She smiled sadly. "I watched him pluck out every single thorn on this rose for you." And at that moment she froze, her eyes distant and faraway, and I knew she was having a vision. "Alice?" I said carefully. "What do you see?"

At that moment, Carlisle hurried over to us urgently, Angelo at his heels. He took one look at Alice before they both spoke at the same time.

"She's here."

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**A/N: As promised, Edward was in this chapter and will be in the ones to come, as well.**

**Thank you so much for all you're awesome reviews! They keep me on my toes.**


	11. Chapter 10: Blood and Roses

_Chapter 10: Blood & Roses_

And that was how I found myself running through the streets of Italy that cool, breezy evening. I tried to ignore the numbing fear in the pit of my gut, instead concentrating on the cobblestones that were scratching my bare feet. Still painful, but more bearable that the fear.

I was trying to keep up with Alice and Carlisle as we ran. I was already disadvantaged because I was slow and uncoordinated, but even more disadvantaged because of their speed. Even though they weren't going at super speed, they were still fast. And to top it all off, my ankle was starting to burn.

My mind flashed back to only ten minutes ago. Once Carlisle and Alice deciphered that Victoria was near, I had stood there, looking at them dumbfounded. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but the confrontation with Edward had left me feeling disoriented. Alice had tugged on my hand, urging me to go, and the only thing I could manage to mutter was something about hiding Jessica's shoes under the table.

"Isabella," Angelo had bowed to me in the most ridiculous way. "I will make sure your friend gets her shoes back!" And with that, he had practically danced off. Alice rolled her eyes and pulled me out of the ballroom, reminding me that I would probably do better to run barefoot, because running in heels would be stupid. I made a mental note to ask Carlisle later how he knew Angelo.

As I ran, I was still clinging to the red rose Edward had given me. It was beautiful, but when I looked at it, it reminded me of blood. It was as red as blood.

He didn't have blood. But he had wanted mine. _Shut up, Bella!_ A voice in my head warned me. I didn't need to make myself even more of a basket case.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at a train station. My stomach sunk at the thought of more traveling. Days ago I had been excited to go to different places, and now all I wanted to do was stay put.

Edward and Jasper were already at the train, looking alert, Edward still dressed up (minus the jacket) and Jasper in regular clothes. When they saw us, Jasper held up train tickets. There were only three.

I looked expectantly at Carlisle and Alice.

"Bella," Carlisle said. "We need to go back. I'm going to consult with Angelo a little more, and Alice is going to accompany me."

Alice nodded in agreement, and seemed to see the worry in my eyes at the prospect of traveling with Edward. "Don't worry, Bella," she said, encouragingly. "We'll meet up with you guys tonight, in Austria. It's just…" she shook her head. "This is getting out of hand and we need to have a strategy."

I nodded faintly, as my hand traveled to where my jean pocket…and money…would have been. I didn't have any. Carlisle seemed to realize what I was thinking, and gave me his friendly smile. "We have you covered Bella."

"Thank you," I whispered, as Jasper and Edward appeared at my side. Alice threw her arms around me in a quick hug, and Carlisle winked at me. Then they disappeared into the fog.

I was following Jasper and Edward, jogging the short distance to the train, when I felt a searing rip in the bottom of my foot. Immediately, I fell to my knees, very much afraid to look and see what I had done to my foot. I fell back onto my butt, and forced myself to take a peek.

A huge chunk of glass was stuck in the sole of my foot, right in the middle. I inhaled sharply and so quickly that it made my head spin. I felt like I was going to be sick.

By this time, Edward and Jasper, already quite a few feet away, had noticed I wasn't behind them anymore, and had headed back. Both of them dropped to their knees beside me.

Against my better judgment, I looked at my foot again. Blood was oozing out around the deep cut, falling into a pool on the ground.

Edward shot a worried glance towards Jasper and it made my stomach turn as I realized what that glance was for. Jasper looked back at him in frustration, and I knew what was going on. I knew Edward was thinking about the paper cut scenario and wondering if Jasper would be okay around this much blood. And I knew this made Jasper feel bad.

Edward reached to pull the glass out but I yanked my foot back towards me protectively, breathing through my teeth.

"Bella," he said, frustrated. "Give me back your foot so I can get the glass out."

I stared at him, but I couldn't feel the same emotional discomfort, due to the pain. When I didn't move, Jasper gently took my hand and gave me a reassuring smile. Unwillingly, I stuck my foot out. Edward put one cold hand on it to keep me from pulling back again and with the other hand, he pulled the glass out as fast as he could. I heard a sickening slicing noise and pressed my fist to my mouth to suppress a scream. I was still clinging to the rose, the rose that was as red as my own blood. As the pain reached me, I tore the beautiful petals apart, not even realizing what I was doing.

Edward stared at the huge chunk of glass, before throwing it angrily at an alarming distance. I shot an angry glance at him.

"Why would you do that!" I hissed. "What if someone else steps on it?"

"That glass was planted there intentionally!" Edward fumed, getting to his feet and pressing his fingers to his temple. "One piece of huge glass wouldn't be there randomly!"

Could my luck get any worse? I pulled my knees to my chin and wrapped my arms around them, holding the crushed rose in my hands, trying to fight back tears. And it wasn't just the pain that hurt now. It was the fear and the memories, too.

"Victoria?" I heard Jasper ask quietly. "Did she know we were coming this way then?"

"She must have," Edward growled. He looked out into the dark streets, eyes flickering everywhere, taking everything in. "We better go." He kneeled next to me again, untucking his shirt and ripping a piece of it off effortlessly. He wrapped it around my foot, tying it neatly, and hesitated, looking at me. I realized, by the way his arms hovered a bit, that he was wondering if he should pick me up or if I'd scream at him. As if to answer, I scooted back.

His eyes traveled to my hands, where a few stray petals were sticking out at odd angles. His fingers reached mine so quickly that I wouldn't have been able to pull back if I'd tried. He opened my hands and the petals fell to the ground.

His face fell. For a moment, he stared at the scattered red rose petals that he had given me, before turning his gaze back to me. I couldn't look away. Again, I was struck at the unusual sadness in his eyes. He got off of the ground, nodding to Jasper. And then he turned and began to walk towards the train, his shoulders slumped and his walk pained.

I found myself scooping the petals back up hastily.

Jasper cleared his throat uncomfortably. "May I?" he asked me, and I nodded. Gently, he tapped my hand and held out his own. I put the broken petals into his palm and he put then safely in his pocket. Then he picked me up very carefully and we followed Edward onto the train. I wanted to walk myself but realized that it probably wasn't safe for me to walk barefoot in case there was any more glass.

There couldn't have been a more awkward train ride. And I couldn't have felt more helpless. I was relieved when I found that this train had private compartments, so that at least other passengers couldn't see me in my pathetic state. We snuck into one and Jasper locked it behind us, the lock echoing loudly in my ears. He sat me down on the hard, train bench.

Edward was kneeling in front of me, untying the scrap of his shirt he had wrapped around my foot before. It was soaked with blood. The metallic smell of it filled the compartment and it made me even sicker. I tried to concentrate on what Edward was doing so I wouldn't have to think about it. Jasper sat next to me, a comforting presence.

Edward had ripped another large piece of his shirt off, pressing it firmly against my foot, so firmly that it made me press my back into the wall in pain. I had to remind myself to breathe. He stayed there for a few minutes, holding the cloth against my wound, trying to stop the bleeding and occasionally looking at me under his eyelashes.

After a few moments, he spoke. "I wish you'd stop looking at me like that," he said, disgruntled. "I'm not going to hurt you." His voice dropped; it was so low that I had to strain to hear him. "I never would."

"Too late," I whispered, looking away, not wanting to see his expression. I felt Jasper twitch uncomfortably next to me. Edward took the new blood soaked cloth off, ripping more of his shirt, faster and rougher than before, and I could tell he was blaming himself. He tied it to my foot. Then he sat opposite me and I worked hard to avoid his gaze.

To my surprise, I eventually fell asleep.

I awoke later to arguing voices, but I kept my eyes closed.

"What was that look for?" I heard Jasper demand quietly. "When she cut herself, you looked at me like I was…_dangerous_."

Edward sighed. "I'm sorry Jasper, it's just, after what happened last fall…"

"I'm not a monster," Jasper said even more quietly, and I felt a silent stab of triumph. He was slowly forgiving himself, I realized.

"No, Jasper," Edward answered, his voice cold and full of self loathing. "I'm the monster. She's more afraid of me than anyone else."

Jasper fell silent and I winced. I kept my eyes closed until I felt the train stop. We were in Austria.

Later, I sat on the bed in the hotel room, still in Jessica's dress, my foot newly bandaged up. Jasper was sitting with me, Edward having gone outside. Jasper had reached into his pocket and pulled out the rose petals, putting them in a neat pile on the bedside table. I looked at them mournfully.

"Did you know," Jasper began, "that different rose colors have different meanings?"

I nodded. "I've heard that, but I don't really know what they are…do you?"

Jasper nodded. "I've been thinking about it, and I think Edward may be trying to convey a message to you."

I glanced at the pile of shattered petals, not sure if I even wanted to know. "What does red mean?"

Jasper paused, looking as if he didn't want to answer. Finally, he muttered, "Love and passion."

My stomach dropped, as if I were on a roller coaster. "Oh," I said faintly. I couldn't take my eyes off of the roses now as I pieced it together. Edward had given me a red rose symbolizing his love, and I had torn it apart. Had I torn his love apart? No wonder he had looked so…heartbroken. I tried to ignore the intense feeling of regret filling my chest.

I awoke in the middle of the night, alone. Jasper and Edward had given me my privacy to sleep and for that, I was grateful. But a noise had awoken me, and I froze as I saw a dark figure next to my bed. I stayed very still, curling into myself, afraid to breathe. Was this Victoria? Had she come at last?

But within a minute, the figure had disappeared, quietly slipping out the door. Immediately, I turned on the light and gazed at the bedside table. In the pile of red rose petals, lay a new yellow rose.

Edward.

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**A/N: Again, thank you SO much for all of your great reviews - I really, really appreciate them! I'm also glad everyone is liking this =)**

**Stay tuned!**


	12. Chapter 11: Over the Edge

_Chapter 11: Over the Edge_

A yellow rose, I thought through the haze of sleep. A yellow rose. Wearily, I put my pillow over my face, not able to form coherent thoughts. What did a yellow rose mean? Something slightly less frightening than love? I tried desperately to think. _Yellow rose, yellow rose, yellow rose._ Eventually, I gave up and fell back asleep.

I awoke the next morning feeling disheveled. My hair was sticking everywhere and I was still in Jessica's dress, which was wrinkled beyond belief. I tried to smooth down my hair, but to no avail. And suddenly, remembering the middle of last night, I glanced at the bedside table, which held the scattered red rose petals, and the single yellow rose.

I picked it up and leaned against the headboard, running my fingers across the smooth petals absentmindedly. It was thorn-less.

What did yellow mean? I sunk further down, not sure if I cared anymore. I was staring into space when suddenly the door opened and I jumped, the rose falling to the floor.

"Bella!" It was Alice, dragging my luggage in with her.

I was so relieved to have clothes. This meant I could take that godforsaken dress off.

I noticed that now that I was actually with the Cullens, Alice seemed a lot more…like Alice. She came over and gave me squeeze, before sitting across from me on the bed, just like an older sister. She noticed the rose on the floor

"A yellow rose?" she asked innocently, reaching down to pick it up.

"Alice," I said. "I know it's from Edward. And I know you know that."

She laughed. "I know."

"What does yellow mean?" I asked her warily.

"Friendship," she said simply, and for some strange reason that made me uncomfortable, my heart sank.

I kept my voice very careful, not sure how I felt about this. "He wants to be just friends?"

"No, Bella," Alice said, as if this was the most absurd thing ever. "It doesn't just stand for friendship. If you get one of these, it also means that person cares about you."

I didn't say anything, still not really comprehending.

Alice looked towards the door, before turning back to me and explaining in a low voice.

"Things between you and Edward have been tense," she said. "And he doesn't want to make it any worse. He wants things to be right. So this," she held the beautiful rose at an angle, admiring it. "This means that he cares very much about you. So even if you're furious with him, at least be his friend for now."

Easier said than done, right? I lay down and curled into a ball, as Alice placed the yellow rose carefully back on the red petals.

"Alice?" I said in a small voice.

"Bella?" she replied, still staring at the rose thoughtfully.

"I want to go home."

Alice bit her lip and was silent for such a long time that I had to look up at her for her to speak.

"Bella, we can't take you home just yet."

I felt my face fall. "Why not? Just a few days ago, weren't you trying to get me to go home?"

"Well, yes," Alice said. "But…it's not safe anymore. We need to keep moving for awhile. It seems hopeless, but we're trying to throw Victoria off of our track."

I was silent for a few moments, letting this sink in, before I spoke again. "What about Charlie?" I whispered. "What will I tell him? And what about Jessica and Angela?" They would be leaving tomorrow. I should have been leaving with them.

"Bella, we'll figure something out," Alice encouraged me. "I thought you didn't want to go home," she added, teasing.

"I didn't," I admitted. "But now all of this bad stuff is happening and…" I trailed off, not even sure what I wanted to say anymore.

"I know," Alice whispered, placing a comforting hand on my back. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

The afternoon dragged on. I had showered and was enjoying being in my own clothes again. But I found myself hanging out in the hotel room basically the entire day. It wasn't as if there was anything else to do anyway. I tried not to think about what Jess and Angela were doing right now, what kind of fun they were having and what they were thinking of my sudden disappearance. Sighing, I turned to look at the yellow rose for the hundredth time.

At that moment, Alice burst through the door.

"Bella!" She looked scared and that worried me. "Bella, you need to pack. We need to get out of here."

Big surprise.

"What happened?" I asked, watching her as she started paced.

"We got a note and I had a vision." Her words came out in a rush as she walked.

I tried to get her to sit because she was making me dizzy. "What?"

"I had a vision," Alice repeated, trying to keep her voice quiet. "She had you Bella, in her grasp, and none of us were around. And the worst part is I have no idea where she was and I have no clue when this is going to happen." She pressed her fists to her forehead in frustration, as if that would help.

I stared at her, fear twisting my intestines into knots.

"Minutes after the vision, a hotel clerk delivered a note from Victoria herself to Jasper," She sounded angry now as she pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to me. Smoothing it out, I read it quickly.

_Ready or not, Cullens. Here I come._

I couldn't suppress an eye roll. It was very corny, almost a reference a game of hide and seek. But it was eerie, just the same. I sat on the bed, staring at the note, feeling immobile.

Alice got to her feet in a flash and before I knew it, she was pulling me off of the bed. "Bella," she said urgently.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. And then, with sudden impact, I realized the danger I was in. I rushed to pack what little things I needed to pack. I paused for a moment, before carefully scooping up the red petals and yellow rose, and putting them in my bag.

As soon as I was done, Alice grabbed my bag for me and rushed to the elevator. She wasn't running as fast as she could have, but I was still having trouble keeping up. She pressed the button impatiently and we waited.

"Alice, is it really safe to wait for the elevator?" I looked around me, feeling paranoid and fearing that being out in the open like this wasn't safe.

"The stairs are just as bad," she replied, jabbing the button five more times. "They're dark and dangerous." I wondered suspiciously if she thought I would fall down them.

The doors finally opened and we got in. Alice seemed relieved that there was no one else in the elevator.

"Okay Bella," she said quietly. "This is the plan. We all need to split up. I don't know how much it'll help but I don't think we should all travel in a pack. Carlisle is staying here, in Austria, for the time being. Jasper and I are going to go one way and…" she paused, as if fearing my reaction. "…you and Edward are going to go another."

I stared at her, my throat dry. "Me and Edward?"

She nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry Bella but…he was rather insistent…"

I folded my arms and raised an eyebrow. Since when did that ever stop Alice?

She sighed and shrugged. "I know," she said. "But…Bella, he'll protect you. Jasper and I are going to figure something out. It'll work out," she promised.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened and we were once again on the run. Outside the hotel, Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward were waiting for us.

Carlisle looked very worried, and again, that made me feel a little worse. He nodded to us all, and wordlessly, we split up. Unwillingly, I followed Edward.

I don't even know where Edward got the car, but before I knew it, we were speeding along the road, alongside Austria's own Lake Constance. Edward's driving was making me positively sick, and not just because of the speed and the curves in the road. Being alone with him and so close to him was taking its toll on me, along with the fear of being hunted by Victoria. Before I knew it, I was searching the road desperately for a place to throw up.

"Edward, please pull over," I muttered uncomfortably.

"We can't, Bella," he said, not taking his eyes off of the road. "We don't have time to stop."

"I'm serious," I managed to look over at him, feeling dizzy. "_Please_, pull over."

Edward looked over at me in disbelief. "Why?"

This was ridiculous. "Edward," I said, gritting my teeth. "Stop. NOW."

Sighing in frustration, he did as I said. Before he had even stopped, I was out the door and running across the street to a cliff overlooking Lake Constance. I could have settled for puking on the side of the road, but it was already bad enough that I was getting sick in front of Edward. It would probably be best to do it at a distance. I bolted to the rail and gripped it tightly, feeling the cool steel under my fingertips. I leaned over, preparing not to look while I got sick since it was a long way down. But since I often had an impulse to look where I shouldn't, I opened my eyes. Maybe it would help me puke faster and get it over with.

Instead of getting relief, I saw a sight that made my heart nearly stop. I stared in horror as I saw Victoria.

Victoria was clinging tightly to the edge of the cliff, just below the steel rail, peering dangerously up at me.

My mind frantically urged me to run, to scream for Edward, to do something, anything. But I couldn't move. Fear had me frozen to the spot. I could only watch as she reached one, long pale hand up and grabbed the front of my shirt roughly, dragging herself up to the rail, looking around me at Edward.

He was already getting out of the car, but as soon as he saw her, he took off running; I could his footsteps behind me. Her lips curled into a sickening grin, and she yanked me over the rail. The last thing I remember consciously hearing was his furious roar before I fell off of the cliff.

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**A/N: Ahh! You guys are great! As always thank you for the reviews - I love, love, love feedback! **


	13. Chapter 12: Fear

_Chapter 12: Fear_

I was falling.

If I was screaming, I couldn't hear myself. I was only aware of the intense pressure of the wind in my ears and the fact that I had just been thrown off of a cliff. Not even thrown, more like _flung_. My heart was in my throat and I wondered if I was going to die.

I hit the ice cold water with such force that it hurt my entire body. I could swim, or at least I thought I could. Under such fear and shock, I wasn't so sure. Although I told myself not to panic, I couldn't help myself and I began to do just that: panic. It made the water rush over my head faster and it made it harder to stay afloat.

The water was choking me and I wondered vaguely if this was the part where I would drown. _Edward_, I cried out in my mind. _Edward!_ The water was so cold that I felt myself starting to go numb.

I forced myself to open my eyes, and I saw the water was dark and murky. This terrified me. Who knew what kind of creatures could be lurking around down there? There could be horrifying things, like lake monsters, killer fish, and vampires.

Where was she? Where was Victoria? Obviously I wasn't dead, unless this was hell. So would she come finish me off? The idea only made me thrash harder.

And then I felt an arm circle around my waist and I struck out at the figure, afraid it was Victoria or something else. Even in the ice cold water I could feel the cool skin, so it must be a vampire, right? _Right?_

The figure wrapped its arm around both of my arms to keep me from striking again and pulled me above the water. I came up, gasping.

"Bella!" I heard Edward's voice. "Bella, stop it! You're only making it worse!"

Edward? Was Edward in the water, too?

"Bella," his voice was cool against my wet ear, making me shiver. "Bella, listen to me. Climb onto my back."

I forced my eyes open. I found it strange that they had been open under water, taking in all things terrifying, but once I had broken the surface, they shut again. Now, the bright force of the sun was blinding me. I squinted painfully.

Was he out of his mind? Where was his back? I couldn't even see him. I felt so tired, so drained. I wanted to close my eyes again. He gave me a gentle push behind him and I fought to grab onto his shoulders, my nails digging into his back. It didn't seem to bother him.

And then we were moving smoothly. The wind blew against my face and instead of feeling pleasant, it felt painfully cold. As the fog cleared from my eyes, I realized that we were moving closer to the shore. Was I being rescued? I clung tighter to Edward's back, terrified of slipping back into the dark lake.

We had reached the shore in less than a minute and as soon as I felt the squishy sand beneath my feet I let go, dropping to the ground. Edward was on his knees next to me, as I gasped in the air. It burned my throat. I rolled onto my stomach and coughed more water up. How long had I been sucking in nasty lake water?

I noticed that I had begun to shiver violently.

Edward had picked me up and was heading back to the car quickly. His cool skin made me feel even colder and it hurt to be in his arms. Not only because my body ached everywhere, especially from the force of hitting the water, but because I didn't know if that was where I belonged.

Once we got to the car, he sat me on the hot pavement, as if this would help me and give me the warmth that he couldn't give me. It didn't help and I wished he wouldn't touch me. Didn't he understand that everything – _everything_ - hurt? I leaned against the car wearily.

The wounds that had nothing to do with falling off of the cliff were starting to bother me. The salt from the lake had seeped into my shoe and was stinging the gash on my foot from the piece of glass. Was there even salt in lake water? Either way, it hurt. But worst of all was the burning sensation in my chest, right above my heart. I became aware of it for the first time, my hand reaching up to touch it, as I gasped.

It hurt more than anything. Why hadn't I noticed it until now?

Edward, who was by my side again, seemed to sense that something was wrong with me. He reached for my hand that was covering my chest and gently pulled it away. He reached for the zipper of my hoodie, but then thought better of it. "Bella, I need you to unzip your sweatshirt," he said instead.

I didn't want to. I didn't want to see what was on my chest and I didn't want him to see it either. I was afraid it would make me sick and I was afraid it would make him panic. I inhaled and looked away.

"Bella, listen to me!" Edward didn't just sound frustrated – he sounded scared. He hadn't stopped looking around since I had fallen and I knew he was searching for Victoria, if she was even still here. He kneeled in front of me and took the zipper and I unwillingly looked into his eyes. "I have to Bella, if you won't," he told me firmly. He unzipped it quickly and pulled it off of my shoulders. Without meaning to, I looked down.

Once I saw the deep, jagged lines going diagonal down my chest, it came back to me. Victoria had grabbed a fistful of my shirt, but that's not all she had grabbed. I shivered as I remembered her digging her nails ruthlessly into my chest, a warning, before she had thrown me over. I looked at it in horror now, as blood dripped down my chest, soaking my tank top.

A low growl escaped from Edward at that moment. He was on his feet in an instance, yanking open the backdoor of the car and I could tell he was fighting his rage. He pulled a sweatshirt from the backseat and kneeled before me again. He pressed the sleeve carefully to my wound.

I hit his arm away angrily. "Edward, that burns!"

He stared at me, before throwing the sweatshirt in the car. He then picked me up, ignoring my protests, and set me in the backseat, forcing me to lie down.

"I can sit!" I said darkly, as I tried to sit up, my head spinning.

He pushed me back down gently. "Lay down Bella. Please." He got in the front seat and began to drive away at an alarming speed.

I closed my eyes because it felt better that way, and heard him speaking with someone (Alice I was guessing) on his cell phone. I blocked out his angry voice and tried to stay calm. What had just happened was the closest to death I had come this entire trip and I could not take this lightly. Bitterly, I wondered why she hadn't just killed me. I realized this must be part of her revenge plan – scaring me to death and torturing me with annoying injuries.

Edward checked us into an inn, not far from the cliff but far enough. I could tell he was deeply shaken and I knew we were waiting for the others to meet us, so we could determine a plan immediately. I decided to shower and wash the blood and grimy lake water off of my body.

I stood under the thin spray that is typical of hotel showers, still shivering. I had turned the water as hot as it would go, and still, I could not stop shaking. I was still cold. I was vaguely aware of my skin burning, but I couldn't think straight. I needed to be warm, I needed to stop shivering.

After awhile, I heard Edward knock on the door, and open it slightly. Why hadn't I locked it? "Bella, you've been in there an hour," I heard him say. "Are you all right?"

I was now sitting on the floor of the bathtub, not really listening to him. I was still in shock from the cliff incident and my fear was increasing by the minute.

After a few minutes, Edward spoke again. "Bella," he sounded exasperated. "You're burning yourself!" I realized that he could probably feel the steam. I saw his hand reach in and shut the water off. I resisted the urge to turn it back on. I waited for him to leave, but instead, through the shadow of the shower curtain, saw him sit on the floor, right on the other side. I knew if the curtain hadn't been there, we would have been face to face.

I hugged myself, holding back the tears, and waited.

"Bella," I heard him whisper. "Bella, say something, anything."

"I don't know what to say," I mumbled and it was the truth. I saw the curtain move slightly and I knew he was tracing the pattern on it as he waited for me to speak.

"You don't even seem like you anymore," he told me and I was glad I was hidden by the curtain, so he couldn't see the painful expression that crossed my face.

"Maybe that's because _I'm scared_, Edward!" I whispered fiercely, annoyed.

"No Bella," he said and I realized that this conversation was a rare one, him letting his guard completely down. His voice was trembling slightly. "That's not why. I know that's not why. I don't know what to do anymore and that's why you need to talk to me."

"Maybe I don't seem like me anymore because after you left, I wasn't ever the same again!" I said in a low, angry voice. I didn't want to do this, I hadn't wanted to lash out at him for leaving because what good would it do? It would just make him become self critical and he would loathe himself. Some part of me wanted to spare him that. But this had come out without me even meaning to say it.

I didn't say anything more and eventually, Edward finally got up, and left. I let the tears fall. "Edward," I whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear. "Give me time." I didn't know how I was still managing to be so stubborn and so headstrong, but part of me was still devastated by Edward leaving. I realized that I was trying to protect myself. I was trying to heal.

After a few minutes, I slowly pulled back the curtain and saw a white rose lying upon the tiled sink counter.

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**A/N: All of the roses popping up in these chapters are there for a good reason; I'm not trying to be sappy. =P**

**As always, thank you for the reviews, any and all are welcome! =)**


	14. Chapter 13: Plans, Dreams, and Visions

_Chapter 13: Plans, Dreams, and Visions_

I sat on the edge of the tub, a tower tied tightly around me, twirling the white rose, feeling it but not really seeing it. I was afraid to go back out into the room. I didn't want to be alone with Edward, not after our little confrontation. I don't know how long I was in the bathroom; I only knew that the cuts in my chest had started to hurt again.

After awhile, there was a quiet knock on the door. "Bella?" Alice's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," I said, as loudly as my voice would let me, which…wasn't that loud.

She opened the door and closed it softly behind her. She had the same look in her eyes that I'd seen in Edward's eyes: fear. She sat on the closed toilet seat, eyeing the rose in my hands and the cuts on my body.

"What does white mean?" I whispered.

"Innocence and purity. It can also mean sincerity."

I sighed. "I don't understand then. Why white?"

Alice stared at the rose for a moment. "You're totally innocent in this entire mess and he's being sincere in every way about the way he feels about you, trying to get you to see this and to trust him."

My heart sunk a little more. I wondered if Alice knew what I had said to him. I was so confused because part of me felt satisfied telling him how it was, but the other part of me wanted to believe he was being sincere. I just didn't know.

"You're pure to him, perfect for him."

I snorted. "Far from perfect."

Alice shook her head. "No, Bella," she said firmly. "Don't think that. You don't give yourself nearly enough credit."

I looked down at the rose again, so perfectly white and beautiful. I could tell that Alice was surveying my wounds again. Finally, she got up and held her hand out to me. "Come on," she said, all business. "We better have Carlisle fix you up."

Awhile later, I sat uncomfortably in the hotel room with the Cullens, who had called a meeting and were trying to decide on a course of action. I sat on the bed farthest to the door and Jasper had sat down next to me, immediately making me feel calm. Alice sat on the other bed, leaning against the headboard, while Carlisle sat in a chair, and Edward leaned against the wall next to the window.

When we were all there, Carlisle spoke. "All right," he said. "We need to decide what we're going to do now." There was a pause and a troubled silence, as no one really knew what we were going to do.

"Anyone have any ideas?" Carlisle asked softly. No one answered at first, until Alice spoke up.

"I think we have two choices," she said carefully. "We can either keep moving, or we can go back to Forks."

Carlisle nodded, considering this. "I think that would be wise. The one thing we can't do is hide. And we can't exactly keep running either, because it isn't doing any good. We need to come up with a clever plan, one to ensnare her, but that will come later. Right now, we must figure out what we're doing."

Silence again. The constant silences were starting to unnerve me. I looked at my hands for the most part, only looking up when someone spoke. I didn't want to look into Edward's eyes.

"Have you seen anything lately, Alice?" Carlisle asked her. She shook her head, obviously bothered that she didn't know what was going to happen next.

Jasper spoke up suddenly. "I think we should keep moving for now." Everyone stayed quiet, considering this, and waiting for him to voice his reasons.

He thought for a moment, before putting a comforting hand on my arm. I felt grateful. "I know we can't keep moving from place to place, but for now, I say we should. We don't need to rush back to Forks because Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett are there right now. We can move out of this area for now and then decide on a plan of action."

Alice nodded encouragingly. "You're right, Jasper. Let's move."

"But what about Charlie?" My voice came out small and worried, much to my dismay. "What will I tell him?"

"We'll take care of that," Alice assured me. "You can call him, or we can if you'd like, and tell him that you ran into us in Italy and we were on our way to…" She paused, thoughtful. "…somewhere – we'll think of that eventually. And we wanted you to join us for a few days." I knew Charlie wouldn't really like the short notice, but he'd believe it. He liked Alice.

"Where are we going to go?" Carlisle asked.

More silence.

"Romania?" Jasper suggested, and everyone agreed. I tried to ignore the awful sinking feeling I felt, knowing that I wasn't going home. I was going even farther from it.

I had called Charlie and told him the story the Cullens had suggested, and although he was a bit skeptical, he did agree to let me have a few extra days in Europe. He wasn't exactly happy about the fact that Edward was here, having seen firsthand the effects that his departure had had on me, but since I sounded happier than I had in awhile (that alone took effort), he agreed. As I flipped my phone shut, I sighed. If he only knew.

I had slipped out onto the balcony to have some privacy to call Charlie and the Cullens had let me, even though I knew they were keeping their eyes and ears open just in case. I made no movement to go back inside after my call. Instead, I remained in the hard, plastic chair and looked out across the landscape.

Mountains stretched as far as the eye could see, the closer ones a deep shade of forest green and the further ones white with snow. This wasn't a city we were in – it was more like country, and this was evident by the rolling plains and little rivers I could see, illuminated by the moonlight. It was beautiful.

I didn't realize how long I had been out there, until Jasper came out and sat on the ground next to me. I must have alarmed them with my timely absence. For a few minutes, nothing was said. Eventually, I began to feel bad that he was sitting on the ground and that I was occupying the only chair, so I slid to the ground next to him. I hear him chuckle quietly.

"Jasper?" I said after awhile.

"Yes?"

"What's going to happen?"

He stared out at the landscape, just like I had been doing, only this time it was through the dark gray bars of the balcony. They felt like a protective cell. "I don't know," he said honestly, and I found that his honesty didn't bother me.

We sat for another few minutes, before he spoke, in the softest of voices.

"But Bella, you don't need to worry," he told me. "You're with us and even though it might not feel like it, you _are_ safe. We wouldn't let anything happen to you. Just look at what happened to James," he grinned a silly, evil grin and I couldn't suppress a smile.

It was clear that I wasn't moving to go inside anytime soon, so he relaxed a little, leaning against the wall. We talked about many different things, and he pointed out the various constellations in the sky to me. He pointed out the mountains and told me of the folklore myths he had heard. He told me ridiculous stories until I was on my back, laughing harder than I had in awhile, my ribs aching. He was just like the brother I had never had.

We must have been on the balcony for hours, because soon enough, Alice had opened the sliding door and was staring down at us, amused. "Come on you two," she said with a smile. "It's almost two in the morning." She looked pleased though, and I wondered if she had heard me laughing.

That night, I dreamed again.

_I was on the cliff where I been pushed off of that day. I was half on it and half off it, with one foot on the smooth rock and the other dangling dangerous in midair. Victoria was there, and she was holding me by the arm. She had complete control – she could keep me there in suspense, or let go and let me fall._

_It seemed like most of my dream I was just hanging there, listening to her laugh like a maniac. All I could think of was Edward and his hurt expressions. This combined with hanging off of a cliff was torture in the worst way._

_Eventually, she let go and I fell. I closed my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the feel of the ice, cold lake water. But instead I splashed into something extremely warm and thick._

_It was blood. Thick, red blood._

_In my dream, I was completely and utterly horrified. This terrible lake of blood wasn't in Austria anymore, it was the ocean at La Push. I swam desperately for the shore, knowing Jacob and Billy were not far away. They could help me, I knew they could. But no matter how hard I swam, I never got any closer. The awful, metallic smell was making me sick and I was drowning…_

Someone was shaking me awake, and my eyes snapped open. I felt awful, hot and sweaty. I sat up immediately, feeling dizzy, and looked around me. The soft glow of the bedside lamp hurt my eyes and I wondered who had saved me from my nightmare. I swear I could still faintly smell blood.

"Bella? Bella! Are you okay?" I heard Jasper's worried voice coming from my side. Slowly, I opened my eyes and turned to him.

Was I okay? I didn't know. That hadn't been a dream; it had been a full blown nightmare. I expected myself to shudder, but instead, sweated a little more. Jasper looked alarmed.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked me.

I nodded and then internally groaned. "Was I screaming?" I whispered.

He nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I nodded feebly. If it had been anyone else, I probably would have said no, but I trusted Jasper completely, probably because he didn't fret unnecessarily and didn't force me to do things I didn't want to do. "Victoria pushed me off of a cliff…and then I was swimming in an ocean of blood, at La Push, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach the shore. I was drowning-"

At that moment, the door burst open and Alice appeared, her eyes wild. I stopped midsentence as Jasper and I stared at her. She took a step in and said in an urgent voice, "I had a vision. Victoria is changing her path. She's heading for Forks. I have to tell Carlisle and Edward." And with that, she ran out the door.

If I had been afraid before, it was nothing compared to how I felt now.

"Charlie…" I whispered.

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**A/N: I hope everyone still likes where this is going. Thank you to those who reviewed thus far! I do read every single one and take each into consideration. I'm very motivated =)**


	15. Chapter 14: Unbearable Anxiety

_Chapter 14: Unbearable Anxiety_

Have you ever felt your entire world come crashing down? Have you ever felt that you could take whatever came at you but once it turned on your loved ones, then that was the last straw? Have you ever felt so desperate for someone to stay safe that you silently made promises to God that you would be better; you'd be good, if only, he'd spare you this person?

That is exactly how I felt at that moment. I wanted nothing but for Charlie to be safe. I was prepared to go and give myself over to Victoria with open arms, if only she'd leave Charlie alone.

Once Alice had run out the door to inform Carlisle and Edward of these new turn of events, I had stared, speechless, at the opposing wall, not able to move and not able to function. I was vaguely aware of Jasper rubbing my back and I felt a little calmer, but as irrational as it sounded, part of me didn't _want_ to be calm. Part of me felt like I didn't have a choice, that I had to be worked into a frenzy because this was Charlie, my father.

I imagined him in my mind. What would he be doing if she came to my house? He'd probably be sitting in his recliner, watching a game on TV, totally immersed in it and as happy as a kid. He'd be all by himself. That made me even sadder, as I envisioned Charlie's face, intent on the game, and at times, ecstatic over whatever it was about games that made guys so excited.

I couldn't help but also imagine the creeping figure behind him, the one that would sneak up behind his recliner and steal his joy. His face would go from that of content enjoyment to one of complete horror. He would be all alone.

He'd been alone a lot of his life. After my mother left with me, he had been alone for a long time, except for my visits here and there. I was there with him now and I knew it made a difference. But he and his friends were getting older. Harry had already passed on and I knew that had had an effect on him. A lot of the time, he seemed rather lonely.

But the thought of him being all alone in his last moments, all alone with a monster, was too much for me to bear. I pressed a fist to my mouth to keep from screaming as I rolled over, away from Jasper, one arm tucked protectively around myself, the other holding in my terror.

We had to get back to Forks. I knew James had tricked me into thinking he was going to take my mother last spring and I knew very well that this could be the same situation. But part of me realized it might not be. This was a bit more drastic that the situation with James. This wasn't just a game for Victoria, it was revenge. She'd get sick of us running and hiding and defying her after awhile, and if she had to kill innocent people to get to me, she'd do it. I shuddered as I thought of how unbelievably similar this was to that spring break a little over a year ago.

As I tried to hold myself together, my mind was working at an alarming speed, trying to make a decision. In fact, I don't think a decision ever had to be made. I knew what I had to do. I had to get back to Forks and I had to be with Charlie. It didn't matter what happened after that; all I knew was that if anything happened to him, I'd never forgive myself.

Immediately, a few hours later, we got on a plane in Austria that would take us back to Washington. The entire trip back to Forks was a blur. I think that's because I was trying to become numb and trying not to over think things, because if I did, I would surely go insane. Instead, I tried to people watch again and I tried to ignore Edward's eyes on me, as if he knew my very plan.

It was an agonizing trip, almost nine hours. But what could I do? Nothing, because there wasn't anything we could do, but sit tight and hope for the best. Before we left, Carlisle had gotten in contact with Esme to let them know what was going on, and they assured him that they would be keeping an eye on Charlie, to make sure he remained safe. But something tugged fiercely at my gut, telling me that this might not be enough. I had an awful feeling that Charlie was in the worst possible danger.

I managed to sleep most of the plane ride, but the hours I was awake dragged on forever. I was beyond relieved when we landed in Washington and began the drive to Forks. I wasn't surprised to see that it was raining.

It was all so strange to me. I had left almost two weeks ago on my little adventure, expecting relaxation, fun, and escape. And instead, my life had gotten turned upside down. I marveled at this, at the fact that I was so danger prone that I couldn't even stay out of evil's way for a long period time.

I was informed by the Cullens that I would be staying with the them for awhile and that I could not let Charlie know that I was back in Forks yet. After all, he did think I was in Europe and it just wasn't safe to send me home just yet. I disapproved of this plan and tried to voice my disapproval but to no avail. They assured me that someone would be watching Charlie at all times, just in case. This didn't make me feel any better.

We had been at the Cullen home for maybe thirty minutes when I decided I couldn't stand it anymore. I hadn't been reunited with Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett yet, as they were not home, and I longed to just go for a ride. I sighed as I thought about how much I actually missed my truck and how I couldn't get to it because it was at my home.

Waiting was agonizing. I wanted updates now, immediately, all of the time. I wanted to know how Charlie was and where Victoria was. I wanted to go see for myself. I felt like I couldn't get even a sliver of peace of mind unless I saw for myself.

A teensy peek in the window wouldn't hurt, right? Just to make sure he was definitely alive and not taken hostage. I paced the lovely Cullen kitchen restlessly, trying to think of a way that the Cullens would let me out of the house by myself.

I trudged up to the guestroom, where I would be staying, preparing to fling myself on the amazingly soft and comfortable bed. I opened the door and stopped short, leaning against the doorframe and staring at the bed.

A beautiful orange rose lay on my pillow. Warily, I walked over slowly, trying to process my thoughts. I had no idea what orange meant. I couldn't even guess what orange meant. I sank into the bed and picked it up, inhaling the sweet smell and wondering what message Edward was trying to send me this time.

After awhile, Alice appeared in the doorway, smiling as she saw me holding my new rose. As soon as I saw her, I held up the rose. "What does orange mean?" I asked immediately, thankful that my decipherer had arrived right in time.

"Lots of things," she said, sitting down next to me. I waited for her to go on and tell me what those things were. She stuck her tongue out at me playfully.

"Alice!"

She laughed her musical laugh. "For one thing, it's meant to cure stressful thoughts. That one's pretty obvious, since you have a crazy vampire hunting you and I know you're worried about Charlie." She paused for a moment before continuing. "It also means pride."

"Edward's proud?" I asked, taken aback. "Why?"

"Because you're doing so well."

I wasn't convinced and she could tell. She sighed. "I don't know Bella, there are many reasons why. For being who you are, for trying to pull yourself out of a slump, for dealing with this so well. He is just overall proud of you."

I looked down at the rose sadly. I didn't feel very deserving of this one.

"And," she said softly, "it also means desire."

I dropped the rose. "Are you serious?" I whispered.

Alice nodded. "He _loves_ you, Bella."

I lay back, not daring to touch the rose. I felt as if it would burn me if I touched it. Suddenly, Charlie and my house flashed back in my mind, and I decided that maybe Alice would possibly be up for a joy ride.

"Alice, can we go for a ride?" I asked her carefully.

She looked at me suspiciously. "Why?"

That was any easy one. "Because I've spent the last two weeks in airplanes and hotel rooms and I would kind of like to get outside."

"Bella, I know you. You have ulterior motives."

"I do not!" I said defensively.

"Why do you really want to go for a ride?"

I sat up and looked down at my hands. "I want to just see my house quickly," I said in a small voice. "To make sure Charlie's okay."

Alice was on her feet in seconds. "Absolutely not!"

"Alice!"

"You're supposed to be in Europe, Bella! What would he say if he saw you?"

"He won't see me."

"How do you know that?" Alice challenged.

"Please, Alice!"

"I am not putting you in danger," Alice was moving towards the door, trying to make her decision final. "You are safe in this house and this is where you should stay."

"It's a harmless, little ride," I huffed.

Alice stared at me for a moment, as if considering something. She looked around carefully, before closing her eyes. I waited for a few moments, until she opened them. "I don't see anything bad happening," she told me, her voice still disapproving. "But…" She looked around again, before motioning me to the door. "Do not tell the others where we're going," she warned me. "One quick ride and we're coming right back."

I was excited for the first time in quite a few days. For a reason I wasn't quite sure of, I grabbed the rose. Perhaps I could drill Alice on its meaning some more.

Within moments, we were in Alice's car. We had gotten out of the house easily enough without running into anyone and Alice had jotted down a quick note before we walked out the door. Now, the window was down and I was enjoying the cool air on my face. I held the thorn less rose in my hand, still a bit muffed by its meaning.

After awhile, I realized that getting out of the house had been a bit too easy. "Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you give in and take me for a ride?"

She smiled slightly. "Because if I didn't, I knew you would have probably escaped and went anyway. And so it's safer if I'm at least with you."

That made sense.

Before I knew it, we were on my familiar road, going by my house. Alice went by quickly at first, so quickly that the house was a blur of colors. I protested and got her to go by again at least at a normal speed.

The house looked peaceful enough. The cruiser was in the driveway and all seemed well. I sighed, feeling a little more relieved, but also extremely homesick. I wanted to go inside so much. I wanted to see Charlie.

There was a rustle in the bushes at that moment, which distracted Alice. She stopped and parked on the other side of the road, getting out of the car quickly. I moved to follow her, but she held up a hand. "Stay," she commanded, and ran gracefully across the street to the bush. I was curious, wondering who she expected it to be. She moved behind the bush and a moment later, I saw a familiar shock of rich brown hair, which I knew belonged to Esme. They seemed to be checking in quickly and I sighed again, feeling even more anxious. Now I was actually sitting in front of the house. I was so close to it. Close enough to run across the street and through the door, even.

I tried to shake the thought out of my head; I was afraid I'd become impulsive and actually do it. I stared at the house longingly, trying to see through the windows, trying to see some sign that Charlie was in there, alive and well. _Stop it!_ I scolded myself. Of course he was alive. Why wouldn't he be?

At that moment, I heard a large thud and I jumped. I could have sworn it came from my house. But Esme and Alice remained where they were, still talking quietly. I began to panic. What were they doing? Didn't they hear that thud? What if something happened to Charlie? I gasped. What if Victoria had Charlie, and had just thrown him down the stairs or something? Before I knew what I was doing, I slipped out of the car and like a crouching tiger, I snuck across the street.

The suspense was killing me. I had to peak in the window at least. I had to make sure Charlie was all right. As long as I could see that, I would go back to the Cullen house willingly.

I reached the right hand window and dropped to my hands and knees, inhaling the sweet smell of the wet, green grass. I felt ridiculous, like I was trying to break into my own house. I slowly rose a little to peek in the window. Through the tiny slit that the curtain did not cover, I could see into the living room. The TV was on but Charlie was not there.

Inhaling sharply, I dropped back down to the grass on all fours. Where was he? I looked towards the bushes, where Alice and Esme were still deep in conversation. They sounded worried. I knew I didn't have long until they discovered I wasn't in the car anymore. I looked towards the porch, knowing there was no way I could try and sneak through the front door. Alice and Esme would surely see. Getting to my feet again, I ran the opposite way, towards the side of the house, where a huge tree stood.

I gazed up at it. Did I dare climb this tree? I knew I was being irrational, but I was _so _worried. I thought about the facts. Victoria was here in Forks. I had heard a giant thump, then silence. Charlie wasn't in front of the TV. It was all adding up.

I hesitated. On second thought, maybe I couldn't climb this tree. Chances are, I'd fall out of it and die and then where would we all be? Feeling antsy, I fidgeted, staring at the tree. To climb the tree, or not. To check on Charlie, or not. To gain a little bit of peace of mind or worry constantly for another week.

That was it. I was climbing the tree. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed a branch and pulled myself up. This was stupid and I knew it was stupid, but worry and stress drove people to do stupid things. I was preparing to climb a little further, when suddenly, I felt someone yank me down. I fell the few feet to the ground, landing awkwardly in a pair of hard, cold arms.


	16. Chapter 15: The Black Rose

_Chapter 15: The Black Rose_

Bewildered, I tried to scramble out of the cold arms, but they held me tightly. At that moment, Charlie opened the door and I had to resist the urge to call out to him. Not that I could have, since my captor had clamped a hand over my mouth, holding me tightly, concealed at the side of the house.

"Hello?" I heard Charlie call out, and my heart ached. "Anyone out there?"

Complete silence.

After a few moments, Charlie went back inside and I breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe, he was alive. I didn't even care that at that moment, my captor was pulling me away from the house. I realized at once that it was Edward who had pulled me from the tree.

We passed the bush where Alice and Esme were hiding. Edward glared at Alice, and Alice glared at me. We walked down the street a distance, where Edward's Volvo was sitting in the shade. I could tell he was furious as he wrenched open the passenger door for me. I got in quickly and buckled my seatbelt, preparing for a tense and fast ride.

He didn't say anything on the way back to his house, but I could practically feel the waves of anger rolling off of him. It didn't matter to me though. Charlie was safe! I couldn't wait to get to the Cullen house and escape to the guestroom so that I could drown in my relief.

Once we arrived at the house, I was out of the Volvo before Edward had even stopped it completely. I stumbled up the familiar steps and escaped into the house. I knew I was going to get it for leaving Alice's car, but I really didn't care. I made my way to the guestroom and shut the door, collapsing on the bed. I waited for what would come next.

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. I didn't say anything and the knock sounded again, sharper. "Come in," I muttered, knowing that whoever was on the other side wasn't going to go away any time soon.

I wasn't surprised when Edward walked in. His expression was absolutely furious in every way. His hands were balled into fists and his jaw was tight, teeth clenched. He glared at me, as if expecting me to say something. I sat patiently on the bed and waited. He could yell at me all he wanted. Then he would leave, and I could sleep.

Finally, when I didn't say anything, he exhaled in frustration. "What were you thinking, Bella!?" he asked me angrily.

I already felt stupid. "I was checking on Charlie," I said casually.

"Why?" He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. It seemed like his eyes were burning a hole through me.

"To see if he was alright."

"Of course he was alright!" Edward fumed. "You know that Esme and the others are keeping an eye on him. Do you not trust us? Did you have to see for yourself?"

I scowled at him. "Of course I trust you. But yeah, I would rather see for myself."

"Do you even realize how stupid that was?" He was going on and on, and now he had started to pace the room. "For one, Victoria is here, Bella! You know this, which is why I don't understand why you would dare go out in the open, especially near your house." He shook his head, before continuing. "And what would you have done if Charlie saw you? How would you explain to him your sudden homecoming?"

I stayed silent. I didn't like being reprimanded, but he was right.

"And," he growled, "You were climbing a tree!"

"Okay, Edward!" I said sharply. "I get it!"

"You most likely would have fallen out of it and broken your neck!"

He was frustrating me in the worst way. I didn't say anything and instead, looked at my hands. I hadn't even noticed I was digging my nails into my palms. Edward was silent for a few moments, before coming and kneeling in front of me. He took my hands and entwined his fingers between mine and I looked up at him, alarmed. What was he doing?

It was almost like he could tell what I was thinking. "If I don't do this, you'll have large nail marks on your palms," he said bitterly. I looked away, trying to pull my hands back, but he held tightly. "I'm not done with you," he said and I was surprised to hear the slight broken edge in his voice. I looked back at him. I tried to ignore the way my heartbeat increased at his touch and how it twisted my stomach into little knots.

"We're trying to keep you out of danger, Bella," he said in a low voice. "And here you are, looking for it! Here you are, searching it out, welcoming it with open arms."

He was getting ridiculous. It wasn't that big of a deal. I stood up quickly and yanked my hands from his, walking a few steps away, putting some distance between us.

"You're overreacting!" I told him hotly. "I wasn't going to get into any trouble. Esme and Alice were right there! I just wanted to see Charlie; I wanted to make sure he was okay! You have no idea how much I miss him, how worried I am!"

"Bella, that's why Esme was stationed outside your house," Edward said irritably. "That's what she's there for." He looked exasperated now. "Bella, please," he said in a softer tone, although one that was still angry. "Just let us help you. Just stay out of harm's way."

Wasn't it great how he had left, and now he walked back into my life, and expected me to obey him so easily?

"Didn't I tell you not that long ago that I didn't want your help?" I said icily. I tried to step by him, but he blocked my path. At that moment, Alice came in, holding my orange rose that I had left in her car, and I was momentarily thankful that she had interrupted. Until I saw the look she was giving me.

"Bella!" she said angrily. "Why did you leave the car?"

"Why did you even take her out of the hosue?" Edward asked her, his voice accusing. Alice ignored him and stared at me, waiting for my explanation.

I stared back. "Didn't you and Esme hear that thud? It came from my house and you didn't even seem to hear it! Victoria could've been in there, with Charlie…"

"And what would you have done, rescued him?" Edward asked me savagely. Alice glared at him, before turning back to me.

"Bella, that came from the house behind you, where you were across the street," she assured me. "It didn't come from your house."

It was then that I realized then how paranoid I was being. I had heard a noise and immediately assumed the worst: that it had come from my house.

"And what about you, genius," Alice turned on Edward, suddenly. "Throw her from the tree a little harder, why don't you! So that Charlie can come out fully into the yard next time and discover us!"

Edward looked shocked for a brief moment, before the fire returned to his eyes. "I didn't throw her from the tree, I caught her! Did you honestly believe I was going to let her climb all the way up it?"

"What were you doing there, anyway?" I asked him angrily. "Following me?"

"Yes!" Edward snapped. "I was! You can't go anywhere without getting yourself into some kind of danger."

"We could handle it, Edward!" Alice proclaimed in a dangerous voice.

At that moment, Esme walked in, holding her hands up. "Stop it!" she said loudly, sounding like she had had quite enough. "Stop fighting! It's over and it's done, there's no use in arguing about it." She glared at Alice and Edward disapprovingly, before turning to me with a bright smile and open arms. "Bella, dear!" she said, hugging me. "It's lovely to see you."

I couldn't help but smile. "It's nice to see you again, Esme."

Esme turned back to her two children. "A time like this is no time to be at war with each other," she said, as she started to push Edward out the door. He gazed at the orange rose in Alice's hands for a moment, before turning back and looking at me. He didn't look so much angry as much as hurt. I sat on the bed, feeling the fight drain out of me at once. Once Esme and Edward were gone, Alice returned the rose to me.

I let out a bitter sigh. "I bet he's not proud anymore," I said, as I put the rose on the bed next to me, not wanting to hold it any longer.

"Don't say that, Bella," Alice said as she sat down next to me, and she sounded tired.

We were silent for a few moments, before I spoke. "I'm sorry, Alice," I murmured. "I shouldn't have left the car, but I hear that thud and it drove me over the edge. I'm so worried."

Alice put a comforting arm around my shoulder. "It's okay," she said. "I really can't blame you. But from now on, no more joy rides and no more getting into danger. Got it?"

"Got it," I agreed, as I looked out the window and watched the sun begin to set.

Alice stayed with me for awhile, as it starting to get dark, just talking to me, keeping me company, and trying to persuade me that I didn't need to worry. Eventually, I fell into a deep and thankfully, dreamless sleep.

I awoke the next morning to a clap of thunder and realized with no surprise that today was going to be another stormy day in Forks. I rolled over lazily, flipping on the bedside lamp to get a bit more light in the dark room.

And lying on my bedside table next to the orange rose, I saw a black rose. An uncomfortable feeling spread throughout my stomach and chills ran down my spine as I looked at the unnatural color on the beautiful flower, and wondered if Edward had sent it and what it meant.

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**A/N: Thanks as always for the reviews! Don't forget, I love hearing what people think! =)**


	17. Chapter 16: Heightened Danger

_Chapter 16: Heightened Danger_

Ignoring my weary muscles, I scrambled out of the bed and ran into the hall. I hadn't even bothered to grab the black rose because I couldn't bring myself to touch it. It just seemed too…sinister. I had to find Alice and figure out what it meant. I padded across the wooden floor of the hallway with no particular destination, so immersed in my thoughts that I was not even watching where I was going. I bumped into something very hard, almost falling backwards. Two arms caught me quickly and I realized with relief that it was Alice.

"Alice!" I said breathlessly, clutching my chest and trying to speak. Alice stared at me, concerned, waiting for me to say something. I found that I couldn't. I was already running back to the guestroom, hoping she was following.

She did follow. I sat on the bed and pointed to the bedside table, feeling a little foolish. It was only a rose, after all, not a spider or anything else creepy. Frowning, she picked up the rose and studied it, sitting down next to me.

"What does it mean?" I whispered.

She looked at me and I knew she didn't want to say anything. Was it really that bad? I waited.

"Death," she said, so quietly that I had to lean in closer to hear her.

"Who died?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Nobody, Bella," Alice assured me, turning the rose over in her hands. I heard her murmur to herself, "He never told me about this one."

"It means something bad, doesn't it?" I asked, dreading her response.

"Not necessarily."

We were silent for a few moments, while Alice tried to work out the puzzle. "Could he be any more theatrical?" I heard her whisper sarcastically. I saw her run her finger down the vine curiously, and then raise an eyebrow. "It has thorns," she whispered, still to herself.

Finally, she spoke aloud.

"It is true that it means death and that it also can be meant to express vengeance against a foe…"

"So I'm his foe now?" I asked bitterly.

"No," Alice said, looking lost in thought. "It does mean those things, but it means something else."

Esme had been leaning in the doorway, and I looked up when I heard her voice. "Love," she said.

Alice and I stared at her.

"I know that red roses are the traditional symbol for love," she informed us, stepping into the room. "But it's been said that black roses symbolize a deeper love. A darker love."

It made sense all right.

"This could have been the result of your argument yesterday," Alice said doubtfully. She didn't move to hand me the rose, like she had with the others roses on other days. Instead, she placed it back on the bedside table. "I can't understand why he wouldn't pluck the thorns off, like he did with all the other roses," she continued, giving me a warning glance, telling me with her eyes not to touch it.

I looked over at it. So a black rose meant death, vengeance, and a deep love. Which was Edward trying to convey? Was it just one meaning, or maybe more?

Alice and Esme eventually left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. A few moments later, I heard a knock on the open door. I looked up, and saw Edward.

He leaned against the doorframe, just like he had the day before, this time with his hands deep in his pockets. I gestured to the rose. "Why black?"

He stared at it, but he didn't say anything.

"Where did you even find a black rose?" I continued. "I thought they weren't supposed to exist."

Edward looked at me sadly. "Well maybe I'm not supposed to either," he said quietly. "At least not in your world."

"Don't say that," I whispered, remembering all of the times he had tried to convince me that we shouldn't be friends or that he shouldn't be near me. And of the time he had tried to not exist at all, after he had left me. _It will be as if I never existed._

His eyes trailed over to the rose again. "Touch it," he challenged me.

I looked up, slightly taken back. "What?"

"Touch the rose," he took a step further in the room.

I glared at him. "Why?"

"Don't think for a moment that I don't see it in your eyes," he said. "You won't touch it because you're afraid of it."

"I am not," I lied.

He sighed. "I didn't send you that rose, Bella."

"What?" I demanded. I had been so convinced that it had been him.

"Why would I send you a black rose?" he asked me.

I stared at it, shuddering. Immediately I had a strong urge to get rid of it. But who had sent it? It couldn't have been any of the Cullens. Why hadn't Alice and Esme caught on to that?

Was it possible that it was Victoria? And if so, had she been here in my room, this close to me, while I had been asleep? I pulled my knees to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs. I was going to be sick. No wonder I had felt a strong urge in my gut not to touch the rose.

Edward came and sat next to me, staring at the rose. "It has thorns," I whispered and he recoiled.

"On second thought, I wouldn't touch it," he advised me.

I was consumed in my own thoughts, the horror of what I had just guessed, and my worry for Charlie that was starting to build up all over again. I was so consumed that I didn't even mind Edward sitting next to me. We sat in silence for awhile. I stared at the floor and he remained silent. I guessed that he was with me for support, or maybe for protection. And I was actually okay with it because I didn't want to be alone.

At that moment, Alice ran in, Jasper on her heels.

I could see that she was trembling and that alarmed me. She motioned to Edward to follow her and after one quick look at me, he followed. Jasper came in as soon as Edward left and I was thankful that I wouldn't be left alone. He sat where Edward had been sitting and was silent for a moment.

I couldn't take silence anymore. I couldn't take suspense.

"What is it?" I asked him.

He looked very uncomfortable for a moment. Then, he spoke the words that would change everything.

"Alice had a vision. And in it…" he paused, as if trying to find the words.

"Yes?" I encouraged him.

"…Victoria had Charlie."

I stared at him, letting his words sink in. I felt like the wind had been punched out of me, to say the least. I tried to fight the panic that was slowly creeping into my veins.

Up until this point, I thought I'd handled all of this pretty well. The sudden appearance of Edward and the Cullens, Victoria's return, the injuries, the fear, the moving around, everything. I had not once had a breakdown. I'd done a few foolish things, but I'd remained tough. But at the news that Victoria was most definitely after Charlie, that she might have even got him already, I felt all of my resolve leaving me. I felt myself sliding off of the bed and to the floor.

"Rosalie and Emmett are already down in that area," Jasper said quickly. "And Esme, Carlisle, and Alice are on their way." As if any of that would make me feel better.

Dismayed at my sudden weakness, I buried my face in my hands, as I felt the warm tears streaming down my face. I felt like I was choking, like I couldn't get enough air into my system. I felt like my whole entire world was crashing down. One word stuck in my head and in my throat: _unfair_. The picture of Charlie all alone with his TV struck my mind again and again, painfully. For the first time since this whole ordeal began, I felt like I could actually cry. The tears were running but the sobs stayed locked in. I convinced myself that once the Jasper left the room, I could break down.

I felt Jasper hesitate for a moment, as if he wasn't sure if he trusted himself to do what he wanted to do next. But he overcame this, and sunk to the floor next to me, gently pulling me into his arms. I sank gratefully into them, wanting someone to alleviate the pain, as well as my nerves that were threatening to spiral out of control.

My head hurt, my throat hurt, my heart burned, everything was wrong. I internally scolded myself for not having the strength to get up and demand that they bring me to my house, to Charlie's. The pain was overpowering me. I felt a little better as Jasper tried to radiate calmness and comfort, but nothing could override this terrible, horrifying feeling for long. Every time I thought of Charlie, a fresh wave of pain heightened my anxiety. I wondered vaguely if I was having some sort of meltdown.

I was so immersed in my own pathetic thoughts that I didn't even realize that Jasper had been talking to me. "Bella," I heard his whisper against my hair. "It's going to be alright. Everything will be alright."

"No," I said brokenly. "Nothing will be fine. She's winning, Jasper!"

"She won't win," he said firmly.

"She has Charlie." It hurt to say the words.

"We don't know that yet, Bella. It's too soon to tell. For all we know, that's just her plan."

"That's just as bad!"

After awhile, I couldn't take sitting on the floor anymore and I couldn't take being in the same room with that godforsaken black rose. I got to my feet, pulling Jasper up with me. At that moment, Edward appeared in the doorway again and I quickly wiped my tears away.

I knew Edward could tell that I had been upset and I knew it was taking most of his strength not to reach out to me. Instead he spoke. "Bella, you should eat something." He said quietly.

"I don't want to eat anything." How could he be thinking of feeding me at this point? Charlie was in danger!

Edward sighed. "You'll feel better if you stop being so stubborn."

"I want to see Charlie," I whispered.

"Bella you know you can't," he told me. "You know it's not safe."

"What exactly did Alice see?" I demanded.

"I'm not going to tell you that," Edward said firmly. "I'm not going to upset you."

"You are upsetting me!"

Edward looked to Jasper for help, but he shrugged. I felt a silent pang of victory.

Jasper was now glancing at the rose and I wondered if it was making him as uncomfortable as it was making me. He put a comforting hand on my back and began to push me gently out of the room, Edward following. As soon as we reached the Cullen living room, Jasper disappeared. I sat down on the couch and Edward sat across from me.

I stared out of the large glass window at the clouds that were quickly approaching. There would be rough storms today. Not as if I didn't have enough storms of my own to deal with.

I glared at him at Edward. "So how am I going to know if he's safe?"

"The others will let us know," he said calmly.

There was a short silence.

"Will you please eat something?" he asked.

"No."

"You have to."

"No."

"Bella!"

"I'll just throw it up!"

"Bella," he said in frustration. "I've been watching you these past few days and I don't remember the last time I saw you eat anything. You're getting so thin…" I saw that his expression was pained.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Jasper poked his head around the corner curiously, and Edward froze. He and Jasper exchanged glances, as if they weren't really sure if it were wise to answer the door. But Edward got to his feet anyway and moved towards it.

I waited to see who had arrived.

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**A/N: I'm not quite sure how I feel about this chapter. I know there aren't any huge Bella/Edward moments, but there are important plot points! I swear the upcoming chapters will be better. Reviews = love :)**


	18. Chapter 17: A Revealing Visit

_Chapter 17: A Revealing Visit_

I watched Edward go to the door, feeling a little tenser with each passing second. Who could it possibly be? The Cullens wouldn't knock at their own door and I didn't think that they got visitors.

He opened the door and I was surprised to see Angelo standing there, the rain pouring down steadily behind him.

He looked as Italian as ever, especially against the backdrop of the wilderness. His olive skin was smooth and his long black hair gleamed in the porch light. Edward stepped back to let him enter the house.

He saw me immediately and I realized that I was standing, although I didn't remember consciously doing so. He bowed one of his ridiculous bows and drawled, "Isabella!" He took my hand and planted a kiss on it. I fought back a grin, wondering what Alice's expression would be if she were here.

"Excuse the intrusion," he said in his thick Italian accent. "But I have very important news." Jasper had come into the living room and he sat down next to me on the couch. Angelo sat where Edward had been and Edward stood behind the couch (and behind me).

"I am assuming that you discovered the black rose in your room this morning," he noted and my eyes widened. How did he know that? I nodded.

"I'm afraid I have some very discouraging news regarding that rose," he went on. "It is a very long story, if you wish to hear…" I nodded again, more vigorously this time.

"I had just entered this charming little town that you call Forks," he gestured around the room, as if the room itself were Forks, "when I happened to spot something very odd lurking in the woods. On closer inspection I saw that it was none other than Victoria! I could hardly believe my luck…"

"Wait," I said. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…you know about…?" I trailed off uncomfortably.

"I do," Angelo said. He bowed again. "Angelo, Italian vampire, at your service."

I raised my eyebrows as the night of his grand ball came back to me. How ironic it was that Jessica had happened to find a vampire to invite her to a ball, without knowing it of course.

"I'm a very old friend of Carlisle's," he told me. I didn't know how I hadn't caught on before.

"I decided to stalk Victoria," he continued in his heavy accent. "I saw her come upon this home, which I knew to be the Cullen residence. I stayed very far behind, not wanting to make myself known. I watched as she climbed a tree – like a monkey! – and slipped into a window."

I was starting to feel very uneasy.

Angelo went on, gesturing wildly with his hands. "I too can climb trees! And so I followed, having the worst imaginable feeling. I peeked into the window and saw her standing over your bed, black rose in hand."

My worst fears were being confirmed.

"I made my entrance at that moment and we stood face to face, across from each other, over your sleeping figure." He was getting very dramatic. "I asked the _femmina adulta_, what was she-a doing in your room? Very strange indeed. She was not pleasant. I could tell I had interrupted her and I knew then that she had something very bad in store for you, Bella." He trilled my name in a way that made me want to ask him to do it again…and again. I had never been able to trill.

I was leaning closer to him, absorbed in his story, yet terrified at the same time.

"She had a despicable smirk her face, a smirk that I cannot get out of my brain. She slipped out of the window before I could do anything more. I stayed in the tree all night long, just in case. I left when you awoke and found the rose. I figured you and your friends would understand the meaning. And I figured I would come and warn you in person a little bit later in the morning hours. So here I am!" He bowed. "But I do shudder to think what would have happened if I did not follow her here." To demonstrate this, he shuddered.

I sank back into the couch, not quite sure what to say. The fact that Victoria had been so close to me made my skin crawl. I wanted to jump up and hug Angelo for being such a fantastic guardian. I'd never felt so suffocated by an enemy in my entire life. Not that I'd ever had a genuine, real enemy before I met Edward.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Thank you Angelo," I whispered. "So much."

"Ah, you are so welcome!" He said warmly. "But I must advise you, Bella" with another trill, "that precautions need to be taken. She is very dangerous and a plan needs to be formulated. Hiding and running are no longer enough! We must create a trap."

I felt Jasper nodding in agreement next to me. And so we sat back and prepared to think of ways to outsmart Victoria.

After a very long silence, Angelo's eyes brightened and he let out a triumphant, "A-ha!" I couldn't believe how remarkably un-vampire he seemed. "I think I have got it!"

The three of us leaned forward eagerly, waiting.

"I shall throw another ball!"

I felt the tension rolling off of Edward behind me. "A _ball_?" he asked.

"Indeed, a ball!"

We waited again to hear exactly how this would help.

"I shall make a very big deal about throwing a ball in Port Angeles," he said. "Not in Forks. I do not believe people have those here."

Again, I suppressed an amused grin.

"That's all very well, Angelo," Edward said. "But there aren't any actual ballrooms around here for you to have your ball."

"Do you not have an inn?" He asked.

I sure hoped so. I didn't want to see his face when we told him he'd have to have his ball in a gymnasium.

"We'll figure out the place later," Jasper said. "What's the rest of your plan?"

Angelo put his delicate fingers to his temples for a moment in concentration, before continuing. "We shall make such a big deal and we will make it clear that Isabella will be there. We will be on the lookout for Victoria. She is sure to show up. She's obviously been tracking you wherever you have been going…" He trailed off, as if he were not exactly confident in the next part. We waited in suspense. When it became clear that we weren't going to say anything, he went on.

"This will not be the safest thing but it is one of the only ways," he said. "Bella, this will require a large amount of acting from you."

I figured right now wasn't the right time to tell him that I wasn't a good actor.

"We will stage some sort of argument between you and perhaps Carlisle or Alice," he said thoughtfully. "You will be very frustrated and you will 'run away', alone and vulnerable. And then she will most likely try and attack. But the thing is," he added, taking in my worried expression. "You will not really be alone! We will be following."

I felt Jasper nodding next to me again and I knew he agreed. I was sure Edward, although I couldn't see his expression, was a bit skeptical.

"And then we capture her and her game is over. It shouldn't be that difficult. There are nine of us, counting Bella, and one of her. Of course, we will need to work out the details…"

Angelo stayed for a few moments longer, before getting to his feet and announcing that he would be back the next morning to go over more details. I marveled as I watched him. His appearance was that of a young, Italian man, but his manner was that of an eccentric old man. I liked him immensely.

The day dragged on. We didn't leave the living room all day, instead finding various ways to entertain ourselves. Although I didn't like being stuck in one place for the entire day (it reminded me very much of being stuck in the airport), I wasn't about to go anywhere alone.

Alice had called Jasper sometime in the day. Victoria had not seized Charlie, but she had been seen lurking in the area by Rosalie and Emmett. All five of them were keeping watch on the house, just in case.

Eventually, nighttime crept up on us. It was mutually agreed between Jasper and Edward that I would not be sleeping in the guestroom and I sure would not be sleeping alone. They set up a pillow and blankets on the couch in the living room, intent on camping out with me. As much as I usually liked to be alone while I slept, I couldn't argue. I was terrified to be alone. I lay on the couch, on my makeshift bed, while Edward and Jasper sat next to me on the floor.

I couldn't help but smile as I lazily observed them. "I'll be fine," I told them, amused. "You guys can roam around or spread out or whatever."

Edward shook his head. "We're not leaving you." He stayed put. Jasper, however, got up and sat in the chair. I assumed he didn't want to suffocate me.

I had asked them to leave the light on because I was afraid of being in the dark. But after awhile, I realized I couldn't sleep. I also didn't like the way it made it hard to see out the window. Finally, I asked them to turn it off. At first I was planning on not even sleeping at all, but this soon became impossible and I knew I was safe with Edward and Jasper there. The only way I was going to get even a little bit of sleep was if I didn't have the bright, annoying light shining in my face.

I lay on my side, staring out the window, willing sleep to come. I didn't see Edward's shape anymore and I figured he had left for a moment. I was okay with that because I wasn't completely alone; I could see Jasper in the chair. I observed the moonlight as it streamed through the window in waves of soft light and I could see the trees illuminated in the distance. I tried desperately not to think about what could be among those trees. I let my arm hang off of the couch, like I sometimes slept, and closed my eyes. It wasn't before long that I realized I was shaking, from fear. I kept replaying the scene Angelo had described in my head over and over again. It chilled me to the bone to think that Victoria had been inches away from me. I could have died if it weren't for him.

Suddenly, I felt something grab my hand and I jumped. It was a very cold hand.

"It's just me," Edward whispered. I didn't resist him. I found myself clinging gratefully to his hand and before I knew it, I had stopped shaking. Moments later, I fell into a deep, fretful sleep and dreamed of black roses raining from the sky.


	19. Chapter 18: Preperations & Anticipation

_Chapter 18: Preparations and Anticipation_

When I awoke the next morning, I was surprised to discover that I had slept throughout the entire night. I was also still holding Edward's hand. Peering over the couch a little bit, I could see that he was laying parallel with the couch, where he must have been all night. My hand wasn't sweaty, as it might have been if I had been holding a human male's hand all night. It was pleasantly cool, as if I had been holding it in front of the air conditioning for a long period of time. Only, air conditioners didn't make my heart skip a beat.

Sighing, I gently pulled my hand from his and rolled over, facing the back of the couch.

Angelo kept his promise and came back later that morning. Carlisle and Esme came back as well and we all sat in the living room (after I had cleaned off the couch, so it didn't feel like we were all sitting in my bedroom). Carlisle agreed with Angelo's idea, believing it was the only way to go at this point. We couldn't catch her, so might as well try to ensnare her. It was agreed that Carlisle would be the one I would argue with, and we started to plan and stage that argument immediately.

It was very awkward. I couldn't feel the genuine panic when I was just "rehearsing". We went over it again and again, but I couldn't get the right feeling.

"Okay Bella," Alice said, pen and clipboard in hand. "You are going to want to stomp your foot and say, 'Carlisle, I can't take it anymore!'" It almost seemed like she was directing a film.

Stomp. "Carlisle, I can't take it anymore."

"Bella, with a little more _feeling_. You're being hunted!"

"Carlisle…I can't take it anymore!"

"Um, okay better…"

Carlisle told me it was alright, that when the night came, I would know just what to do. I hoped so.

Angelo said that he had been doing a bit of local ballroom research and that he had found a place in Port Angeles called the Red Lion Hotel. They had a ballroom and he had booked it for a few nights from now. He once again marveled at his amazing luck - he had been able to book a ballroom with virtually no wait.

Alice ushered me to her room soon after our little "rehearsal" to find something for me to wear. I tried to convince her that I would be fine wearing Jessica's black dress (which I still had). Alice said that that simply wouldn't work. Black would make me blend in, and on this specific night, I would need to stand out. She found a short, red dress and decided that it would do the trick. I stared at it, and I couldn't help think to myself that it was as red as blood. And as red as the crushed roses that were still in my bag.

A few quick days went by, with more preparations. I had expected them to go by slow as I anticipated the night of the ball, wanting to get it over with, but I found that they went by fast. We got the 'argument' down as best as we could and we set to giving everyone directions and cues; who would be where at what time, who would follow me, who would follow Victoria and keep an eye on where she was.

The night before the ball, I sat on the couch, surrounded by a pillow and blankets, but with no intentions of sleeping. Carlisle and Alice had joined Emmett and Rosalie back at Charlie's (they figured increased security for tonight was probably best, in case Victoria had caught on that we were planning something), and Jasper and Esme had moved to different parts of the house to do various things and keep a look out. Edward remained with me.

I had sat on the couch for about an hour, silent, when I began to realize how difficult this would be. I was already bored and tired and I still had a long night ahead of me. I crossed my arms and tried not to think about what would happen the following day.

Finally, Edward moved from his spot near the window to sit on the couch next to me. He was silent for a moment, before he spoke.

"Bella," he said in his smooth, velvety voice. "You really should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be tense."

Tense? That was an understatement.

"I know, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep," I told him, trying to be civil. It had been easier and easier to get along with him these past few days.

"You should try."

I let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I'm afraid to," I said honestly. "I'll lie away all night and think about what's to come, and sleep will be something that _won't_ come. That will be agonizing enough. Or if I do somehow sleep, I'll have nightmares." Victoria could easily get me in my nightmares. She could get Charlie, Edward, anyone she wanted.

"You won't be able to function with no sleep tomorrow," he insisted. "You can't afford that, Bella."

"Edward, I'm sure if sleeping was something you did, you'd have this problem too. It's not so easy as just, 'let's sleep now!' No, Edward."

"You're not even trying!" he growled.

"There's no point in trying!"

He didn't say anything and I knew I had frustrated him.

He didn't move.

Finally, I sighed. If I didn't say something, the tension would strangle me.

"Edward," I said softly. "What happened? Things never used to be this way."

"Bella, I've been _trying_." He put a special emphasis on the word, and that made me wince. As if he were trying to tell me that I wasn't trying. And not just with the sleep thing either.

There was another uncomfortable silence. Slowly, I felt my anger and frustration melting away into plain sadness. "I'm sorry I've been so difficult…it's just that you…" I trailed off, looking down at my hands.

"That I left," he finished for me.

I nodded, but didn't say anything.

He sighed. "Bella," he began. "Like I said days ago, you don't know how much I regret that. You also don't know the whole story and I don't even know if you'd believe me…" I opened my mouth to say something but he held up a finger. "The incident with Jasper really shook me up. I felt that by staying, I was endangering your life."

I opened my mouth again and this time got my say. "You said you didn't want me." I was dismayed at how small and broken my voice sounded. Pathetic.

"I had to say it," Edward said quietly. "How else would you let me go? Of course I wanted you." He dropped his voice even lower, if that was even possible. "I still do. My feelings for you have never changed."

I felt chills crawl down my spine at his words. I let my head fall wearily into my hand as I processed what he was saying, and tried to fight the butterflies that were tearing up my stomach. Isn't this what I had wanted to hear all along? Then why didn't I feel any better?

I wanted so much to fall into his arms, for things to be how they were before, and maybe they would be again. Maybe sooner or maybe later. But part of me still wanted to hang on to my independent feeling and part of me still couldn't really believe what he was saying. Because the fact was that his leaving had torn me up and made me a different person, one that I sometimes had trouble recognizing.

I wanted to tell him that my feelings never really changed either, and maybe I should have said it. But I was beginning to feel weary and as much as I had been convinced I wouldn't sleep before, I did want to try now. I didn't want to talk anymore; I didn't want to face how I was feeling or how he was feeling. I shifted uncomfortably. "I think I'll try and sleep now," I whispered.

He nodded, and seemed satisfied that we had at least gotten through a conversation that didn't end with an argument. He moved off of the couch and went to shut the light out, while I stretched out on the couch. Moments later, he was next to me on the floor. Minutes passed, as I tried to sleep and tried not to think.

I suddenly heard my voice cut through the darkness.

"What if I have nightmares?" I asked, feeling like a little lost child. But my fear was genuine. I wasn't sure what thoughts of tomorrow's situation could trigger.

"Don't worry about that," I heard Edward say and I thought I could hear a small smile in his voice. "I'm right here." He reached out his hand and I took it, feeling the cool pleasantness. And almost immediately, I began to drift off.

Right before I fell into unconsciousness, I heard him whisper, in the gentlest of voices.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry it took me a bit longer to post this chapter. I was at a wedding yesterday so it had to be delayed a bit. I also know it isn't the most exciting chapter. But it's crucial because things with Bella and Edward are starting to improve a bit and it's also the 'calm before the storm'.**

**As always, I appreciate hearing what people think! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! =)**


	20. Chapter 19: According to Plan

_Chapter 19: According to Plan_

I did have nightmares. That was inevitable. But I wasn't prepared for how disturbed I would really be.

_I was in a house of mirrors. It made me think of clowns, weird humor, and of being trapped. _

_And I was trapped. It was like a never-ending maze. I ran this way and that, to every direction possible, and all I could see wherever I turned was my own, terrified face._

_It felt like I had been walking around the stupid house of mirrors for a whole day, when the change came. Suddenly, I no longer saw my own terrified face. Instead, I saw the terrified face of Charlie. He was yelling something, but all I could hear were my own frantic footsteps sounding through the silence. It looked like he was in pain, and I ran and ran, looking for him, looking for the real Charlie and not the mirror Charlie. _

_After awhile, it changed again, and this time, I saw the agonized, beautiful face of Edward. It was the same with the Charlie face; not matter which way I turned, I was trapped and I could not find Edward. But surely he must be there, because he was in the mirror, right? I watched in helpless horror as he seemed to scream one word over and over: no._

_Finally, I gave up and sank to my knees. And just as I gave up and sank to my knees, the face in the mirror changed, and this time, it was that of James. He was laughing, and the sound filled the house and bounced in echoes off of the mirrors. And he disappeared too, and all I saw was Victoria, her lovely face twisted into a demonic grin, as blood began to drip from the ceiling, down the mirrors._

_Horrified, I once again got up and tried to search for a way out. The strong, metallic scent of blood was filling the house, choking me, making me panic and I knew I wouldn't be able to function much longer. I felt faint. The sickening smell filled my nostrils and clouded my head, until I stumbled and fell to the ground, into the pool of blood._

_The blood continued to stream down the mirrors, concealing Victoria's gleeful face. I curled into myself, afraid to let even more of the warm liquid to touch me, but it did. It kept coming, and coming, the warmness of it making me ill. Defeated, I watched as it filled the entire room. I was drenched and I was screaming, screaming until I lost my voice but it still didn't do any good…_

As soon as I woke, I tore my hand away from Edward's and leapt over him, running to the bathroom. It was still dark out and so I knew I hadn't slept the entire night, like I'd hoped. I ran to the bathroom, flipping on the light…I needed light…and fell to my knees in front of the toilet.

The metallic smell of blood still burned my nose, although there wasn't any blood in my reality at the moment. Not yet anyway. I felt so sick, from the nightmare and from my nervous anticipation of the ball.

I threw up like the weak little human that I was. Wearily, I flushed the toilet and lay down on the cold tiled bathroom floor, the coolness feeling amazing against my cheek.

The nightmare had seemed so real and now I wanted nothing more than to lie on this nice, cold bathroom floor and to not think anymore. I felt delirious with sickness and fear. Tears ran senselessly down my face, although I wasn't crying.

After a few moments, I felt someone pick me up and I knew it was Edward. I was too weak to protest, to tell him to put me back on the floor, that it was nice down there. I let him carry me back to the couch, and tuck me in. I hadn't noticed I was shivering violently. He kneeled beside the couch and smoothed my hair back from my hot forehead. I vaguely heard myself moan.

I wanted to be back on the bathroom floor, it was too hot here, but at the same time, too cold. That didn't even make sense. I turned my cheek into the pillow and wished for the unconsciousness of sleep. I didn't want to go back into the nightmare but I didn't want to be semi-conscious like this either.

Finally, I fell asleep to Edward's voice murmuring in my ear.

"Sleep, Bella. I'm here."

_I'm here._

You know when you dread an event so much that it makes you sick to your stomach? And you know how when that event comes you're stronger than you'd ever thought you'd be? Well, that's how it felt on the way to Angelo's ball.

It was evening and I don't even know how I survived the entire day before that moment. It was filled with last minute preparations and the Cullens trying to distract me in every way they could. Now, I was crammed into Carlisle's car with Angelo and the rest of the Cullens, minus Emmett. Someone needed to keep watch over Charlie, just in case Victoria wasn't at the ball. Emmett, not wanting to go to any ball, had volunteered immediately.

All the Cullens, as well as Angelo, were dressed in black. And I was in a bright red dress. I felt kind of ridiculous because I didn't like standing out.

The Red Lion Hotel in Port Angeles was simple, yet beautiful. It was dusk and the pink light shone blissfully across the harbor that sparkled right beside the hotel. In the background were numerous mountains, some a charcoal gray and others white with snow drift. It was a vacation paradise in its own right.

This ball wasn't as big and as grand as the one in Italy had been, but it was just as nice. I didn't know who Angelo had enlisted to come to it, or if he even knew most of the people, but there were plenty of them there, graceful couples swirling around the dance floor and happy faces everywhere one turned.

If they only knew.

I walked around the room nervously, wringing my hands and playing over the argument that I would soon have with Carlisle in my head. I hoped that our plan would work but I had my doubts. I kept to myself and soon became the loner of the ball.

We must have been there an hour when suddenly I heard the familiar chords of a waltz very similar to the ones that had played in Italy. Angelo appeared out of nowhere at that moment and bowed to me. He held out his hand and without thinking about what I was doing, I took it. I allowed Angelo to pull me out to the dance floor, figuring that protesting wouldn't have any effect on him. I felt rather flattered as he twirled me around and tried to get me to have at least a little bit of fun. Then, suddenly, he pulled me close.

"Isabella!" he whispered in my ear. "Stay very calm. Victoria is here in this very room, watching."

I felt a little disappointed that Angelo hadn't pulled me out to dance just for the sake of dancing.

"And luckily, I pulled you out onto the dance floor in safety!"

Yes, he had. I looked around wildly as we waltzed and he kept me glued to his side. I could feel his eyes scanning the entire room for her, but I couldn't seem to find her.

Suddenly, Angelo laughed. "We are like two peas in a pod, would you Americans say?" He bowed.

I found myself laughing. He was utterly ridiculous. I realize that he could probably see the terror in my eyes and that he was trying to lighten the mood.

I spotted Edward at that moment. He looked like he was looking for someone and I saw that there was a beautiful peach rose in his hands. His eyes flew over the room until he eyes finally rested on me.

His expression changed from that of curious contentment to plain, seething jealousy. I felt a slight pang. Here I was dancing with an incredibly gorgeous Italian guy, someone who wasn't even as beautiful as Edward, but who came pretty close. I could only imagine what Edward was thinking right now, seeing this guy holding me close and me laughing. I could have probably even passed as happy. I watched as Edward's face twisted into some defiant mask of pain and he dropped the rose on the floor, not just in anger, but more of in despair. He disappeared into the throng of people.

I tried to think that it served him right, that maybe he could feel a little fraction of all of the pain he'd caused me. As much as he said he still felt the same for me, part of me kept asking myself, then why did he leave? It did make some sense that he'd leave to protect me, but if he really cared that much, wouldn't it have hurt him to leave? Wouldn't it have been a little harder than he had made it seem?

As soon as the dance was over, something deep inside me made me slip away from Angelo quickly and pick up the rose that I knew was meant for me.

At that moment, Alice came over and took my hand. "It's time," she whispered, pulling me to the door.

We stood at the closed door for a moment, while Alice hurriedly whispered instructions to me. "Everything is going according to plan," she breathed in my ear. "Victoria is here. I don't know if she's as gullible as we're hoping she'll be, but we can hope. But now is the time for you to argue with Carlisle and get this thing going."

"Alice, I don't think that I can do this."

"Bella of course you can!"

I was about to open my mouth to ask her what the rose meant, but instead, she took it from me and gave me a gentle push out the door.

Carlisle was waiting for me on the tiny balcony. I tried to ignore the fact that I was trembling.

"Ah, Bella!" Carlisle said calmly and pleasantly. "Alice said you wanted to speak to me?"

"Y-yes," I stammered. _Focus, Bella!_

Carlisle encouraged me with his eyes. "What is it you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Um…" What was it I wanted to speak to him about again? I looked at him, trying to fight the fear that was clouding my common sense.

Carlisle saved face immediately. "You look unhappy about something."

Yes, that was right.

"I am…unhappy," I said loudly, hoping I didn't sound too unnatural. "Carlisle," I took a deep breath, feeling a little bit of confidence overtaking the fear. This was the only way to get rid of her, this was our plan. I couldn't ruin it with my awkwardness. "Carlisle, I'm sick of all of this."

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked, miming confusion perfectly.

I stomped my foot. "Carlisle I can't take it anymore!"

"Bella," Carlisle put his hands on my shoulders. "Please, calm down and tell me what you mean."

"I mean all of this hiding and running away! It's never-ending!" I paused, and then added for good measure, "It never ends! I want to be normal, and I want to have a _life_!"

"Bella, I know it's tough," Carlisle said. "But we're trying to protect you! You are in serious danger. But I promise you, that you will have your life back soon enough. All you need to do is endure this just a little bit longer."

"I can't!" I protested. "I can't do this anymore! I'm going insane!" It took me a bit of effort not to smile. I was quite proud of myself.

"Bella, please! Listen to reason!"

"No!" I turned on my heel.

"Bella, where are you going?"

"I don't know!" I said defiantly, over my shoulder.

"You can't go out there! She might be out there, Bella!"

"I don't care!" And with that, I descended the tiny stone staircase, hearing Carlisle's protests and the sound of my heels ringing off of the stone echoing loudly in my ears. I almost stumbled on the last stair, but regained my balance quickly.

I looked out into the darkness and felt my fear return and hit me hard in the chest. Was she out there? What if I was the one walking into a trap? I tried to ignore all of my unhelpful thoughts as I once again put on my false façade, and began to run into the darkness, across the extensively manicured lawn.

I didn't know what would happen next. I ran on through the darkness, the full moon lighting up the shadows. I ran, not sure where exactly I was going.

I may not have known where I was going, but I did know that if everything went according to plan, Victoria would appear in just moments.

* * *

**A/N: A special thanks to Fitten, who suggested something along the lines of a close dance between Angelo and Bella and a jeleous Edward. I didn't make it too extreme and dramatic but the suggestion was still appreciated, as I loved the idea! So I put it in there as a misunderstanding on Edward's part. And this will be an Edward/Bella live happily ever after story in the end =) I promise. Thank you for the amazing reviews, all are welcome always!**


	21. Chapter 20: Not According to Plan At All

_Chapter 20: Not According to Plan At All_

I ran until my lungs felt like they would explode. I marveled at the size of the Red Lion Hotel's lawn and finally, not really knowing what to do next, I sat down in the cool, dewy grass. I don't know if this was the smartest thing to do, but what else could I do? We had never discussed what I would do if Victoria didn't appear right away or if she just didn't show up at all.

I sat, feeling completely vulnerable. If she were to attack me, she could come from any direction. She could appear right in front of me, she could come from the side, or she could come from the back. It sent chills of the worst kind down my back. I tried to take solace in the fact that I was not completely alone, that I had protectors hidden someone in the darkness, ready to come to my aid at any moment. I looked around, wondering where they were.

I was becoming more and more anxious by the moment, as I tore grass from the ground and ripped it into little shreds to keep myself occupied. I didn't really have to act anymore. I looked pitiful and I'm sure to any outsiders, I just looked like I was moping from my "argument" with Carlisle.

I was not only anxious, but a little impatient. If she was going to attack, couldn't she just get it over with? This had been a nightmare waiting to happen from the very start and I wanted it to end. Not knowing how this was going to unfold made it worse. I decided that if she were watching, maybe I could coax her a bit. Make myself a little more vulnerable. It might have been a stupid move, but anxiety makes people do unreasonable things sometimes.

I lay back on the grass, flat on my back, exposed.

And that's when it happened.

Victoria appeared out of nowhere, standing over me, her long fiery hair (now back to its natural color) hanging down in my face. She pulled me to my feet by the front of my dress and I thought it was amazing that the delicate fabric didn't rip. I stood there, facing this crazy vampire who had been hunting me for the past few weeks.

My skin prickled as I wondered where the others were and when they would show themselves. I reasoned that they wouldn't show themselves just yet. No, that would be too risky. I might have to take a few hits for the team before it would be safe for them to destroy her.

It helped to make my own assumptions like that. To think that they would destroy her, when I really had no idea what would happen.

She had one hand on her hip in a very sarcastic pose, but even through the evil plainly etched on every single part of her body, she was alarmingly beautiful. Her red hair blew in the slight breeze and stood in shocking contrast to the short, black cocktail dress she was wearing (obviously to blend in at the ball). She made me feel so…human.

"Bella Swan," she murmured, her voice slightly husky and very unnerving. "At last we meet face to face."

I reminded myself that I needed to breathe. _Breathe, Bella._

She looked towards the full moon before pacing the soft grass. "You know, you've been a difficult little human to catch. You have some pretty nice friends."

I didn't say anything. I didn't even know what I would say. Nothing was definitely best.

"Pretty nice, but very annoying." Her fake, friendly manner now disappeared completely and the menace shone brightly in her eyes. Her voice was hard. "I'm sick of games, Bella. I set out to avenge James and now is the time." She stepped forward and stood so close to me, that I thought I would collapse from fear. "Right _now_," she whispered, clenching her teeth and allowing her lips to curl into a frightening snarl. Her white teeth gleamed in the moonlight. My breath caught in my throat.

She slapped me hard across the face, and I stumbled backwards. I heard what sounded like a growl, followed by a thud and a rustle that was audible even to my ears. Victoria's head snapped in the direction of the sound. Something about that growl made me think that it was Edward, and my heart lifted knowing that I wasn't alone. It hadn't been much comfort when I had been sitting in the grass alone, but now it sure was.

Victoria looked back at me, cocking her head dangerously. Her hand flashed out and grabbed my arm, pulling me into her side. She wrapped her arm around my waist in a tight hold, one that hurt terribly, and one that felt like she was crushing my ribs. She held tight and began to drag me off of the lawn.

I fought against the terrible alarm that was making my body stiff and my mind numb. Where was she taking me? I hoped desperately that the Cullens and Angelo were following. She dragged me brutally across the remaining perimeter of the lawn, and into the dark, hostile-looking forest.

I don't know how long I was being dragged through the woods, but after what seemed like hours (but was probably only minutes in reality), she pulled me into a small clearing. Trees surrounded it, and there was a perfect view of the full moon. Well, it would have been perfect if I weren't so close to death at the moment.

The clearing was also on a tall hill, overlooking even more forest. I was slightly thankful that it wasn't a cliff, and that if she decided to throw me of off of the hill, I at least had a chance of surviving. Maybe.

Victoria threw me to the ground as soon as we reached the clearing. My hand instinctively reached for my ribs, but it hurt to touch them. I knew that if I lived through this encounter, I would have bruises to show for it. Battle wounds, I thought bitterly.

"You have been just a bit too lucky, _Bella_," she spat out my name as if it were venom. "At first I enjoyed the cat and mouse chase, but then, it started to aggravate me. You weren't supposed to live this long!"

She reached down and wrapped a slender hand around my throat. It was ice cold. "But now, your time is up. Your lovely little Edward and his filthy siblings took away my James. He took away my life, and now I'm going to take away his." Her grip on my throat tightened.

She continued in a very low, threatening voice. "For awhile, I wanted to make sure he was near so that he could witness your tragic end. But, although I have a feeling he is very near right now, I don't really care if he sees anymore. I just want you gone." And with that, she yanked me off of the ground again.

I felt incredibly pathetic, and I wished that I could stand up for myself and for Edward, that I could say something or do something. I wanted to fight back. But what good would that do? It would only make the end come faster. It might make the end worse.

She had pinned my hands painfully behind my back and was leaning towards me, her eyes black and hungry. I braced myself, forgetting that allies were near, and prepared to feel the pain that I knew was coming.

And before I knew it, six figures were stalking out of the forest behind her. My disoriented mind counted the vampires, trying to remember why there weren't all there. It took effort to remember that Emmett was at Charlie's and that Esme had stayed behind at the Red Lion Hotel, just in case.

Relief nearly drowned me as I felt Victoria throw me roughly back to the ground. She turned to face six angry vampires. She acted like this didn't faze her, but I wondered if deep down, she was secretly alarmed.

Alice was at the very front, and she smirked, looking absolutely sinister in the hazy moonlight. "You know, Victoria, I thought you'd be a little more creative than this." I could tell though that she was glad Victoria hadn't been.

Victoria had folded her arms. She was most definitely outnumbered. Now that I wasn't in immediate danger anymore, I felt the full throttle aching of my ribs. I winced and looked instinctively at Edward, who was standing the closest to Alice and therefore, the second closest to Victoria. He was looking at me, and through his fury at Victoria, I could see concern shining in his eyes.

And at that moment, the Cullens, plus Angelo, got to work. I saw Carlisle, Angelo, and Jasper gathering various pieces of wood, and I saw Rosalie step forward and hold up a match.

Victoria still had that sick snarl plastered on her face. It seriously seemed like she had no chance. I watched her carefully. Rosalie threw the lit match into the wood, making a large and dazzling bonfire, and Victoria turned on her heel at once to run. I knew now that staying alive was more of a priority than killing me.

And what happened next happened so fast I was surprised I didn't miss it. I found some kind of inner beast inside me, one that made me reach out and grab Victoria's ankle, causing her to fall to the ground. She looked back at me and once she recovered from the shock of a weak little human taking her down, she hissed at me. I knew at that moment how badly she wanted to come after me, but instead, she gracefully leapt back up to her feet and took off at a run down the hill. Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie took off after her at once. Edward took one long look at me, as if trying to make sure if I was all right first, before taking off after them. I remembered then that he was the fastest.

Angelo and Carlisle rushed to me instantly, helping me up.

"Will they get her?" I asked them frantically as I was set on my feet.

"I hope so," Carlisle said, but his voice sounded troubled.

I wasn't prepared for what would happen in the next ten minutes

We waited. I didn't understand how it was so hard for six vampires to catch one. But Victoria was fast, stealthy, and swift. Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie didn't come back for another five minutes at least. When they did, Alice and Jasper were dragging Victoria back up the hill and into the moonlit clearing. Victoria yanked herself out of their grasp and they allowed her to. She was surrounded anyway.

The fire burned brightly and I could feel the intense heat from where I stood. I knew our only obstacle now was destroying Victoria and my mind spun as I wondered how they would do it.

She circled the fire, keeping one eye on us and one eye on the dangerous inferno. Her red hair seemed to be the exact color of the flames that were licking the night sky. She stayed far enough away from the fire so that whoever was nearest to her couldn't simply push her in.

I knew what they had to do and the thought made me shiver. They would have to rip her to shreds and burn the pieces. I could practically see their minds turning, planning this last minute attack, deciding how exactly they would end her existence.

And at that moment, Rosalie grabbed Victoria from behind, and Alice stepped forward. I wondered if they would do to her what they had done to James; break her neck for starters. I could still remember being in the most terrible pain and through the pain, watching them end him.

She let out an infuriated piercing scream that echoed into the forest and shook me to my very core. She now began to fight for herself. I tried to turn away as I saw Rosalie and Alice begin to rip her apart, but I couldn't. My eyes would not move, could not move, from the horror that was unfolding right before my eyes.

Victoria would not be destroyed so easily, however. She kicked Alice away, wrenching herself from Rosalie at the same time, and began to stumble blindly towards the forest. I remembered being told that ripping vampires to shreds wasn't nearly enough, since they were still technically alive and could re-attach themselves. She must have known that she didn't have a chance, but she ran anyway.

And then, she changed directions and ran towards me.

I knew exactly what she was thinking. She knew she was going to die, and she didn't care, as long as she could get at me. Although her arm dangled loosely at her side and her neck was twisted at a gruesome angle, she flashed her sharp teeth, the equally sharp nails of her good hand aimed at my heart. Her eyes flashed dangerously, as black as the dark forest and as angry as the fire that was burning behind her.

And she was so close to me that she would have gotten me, if it hadn't been for Angelo.

With a very uncharacteristic battle roar, he caught her at the waist and speared her, running like hell and tossing her into the fire. But she held tight with her good arm, and he went tumbling in after her.

I hadn't even noticed I was doing it, but I had started to run towards the fire. I don't know why I did this, probably out of shock, because what would I really have done? Pulled Angelo out heroically? Given myself third degree burns in the process? He couldn't have been saved anyway.

Edward caught me firmly around the waist and held me back, as I fought wildly against him, trying desperately to get to the fire, to yell to Angelo one last time, to do something, anything, but stand here and watch him die…

I heard various cracks and pops and I knew that although Angelo was dying, he was getting the job done. He was ripping her apart as she burned. I watched in horror as I saw the two vague figures disappear completely into the flames. I heard Victoria's agonizing screams, mixed with Angelo's victory cheers. I didn't even know how it was possible. Angelo was burning, how could he be destroying her in the process? I thought of miracles at that moment, of amazing strength in the toughest of trials. And I knew that this must be the case.

I must have been screaming, all though I couldn't hear it. All I could hear were the screams and the cheers, but I must have been screaming, because I felt the rawness in my voice. As these sounds started to fade out, I thought I heard the briefest whisper over the crackling of the flames. It could have been the wind blowing though my hair, but I swear I hear Angelo whisper, "For you, Isabella." I knew if he had been there, he would have bowed.

I hated Edward at that moment for trapping me. I hated Victoria for being so hard to destroy, for dragging my new friend into the fire with her. I hated everything, everyone. I hated myself for being weak, for not being able to do a damn thing.

I sunk to the ground and Edward sunk with me, holding me tighter as he felt the fight leave my body. I was unable to actually cry, only to yell and fall into a deep shock. Visions of Angelo filled my head, Angelo in his evening tuxedo, bowing, laughing, and waltzing…Angelo burning to death, dying for my sake.

I collapsed completely, staring numbly at the fire, as the rest of the Cullens surrounded me. I felt many cold hands helping me to my feet, dragging me away from the clearing. I felt myself look up at Edward in despair and give him a glare I didn't even know I had in me at the moment. I felt Jasper pull me away gently and pick me up, carrying me through the suffocating wilderness.

It wasn't fair.

Victoria's hunt was over. I was safe, but at the most horrifying price imaginable.

I allowed myself to be led away, letting the grief take over.

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**A/N: I was really nervous about posting this chapter. It was a pretty major chapter, and I don't know if I made it as believable as it could have been. I'm not sure if I portrayed a vampire's death as well as I could have, but I had to get Angelo into the fire with her somehow and the way I wrote it was the best way I could figure it out. I tried and I'm happy with the way it turned out, I just hope everyone else is too. And I know, I killed off Angelo =( but I had been planning on doing so for awhile. I felt someone had to go out with a bang, but it wasn't about to be any main characters that I don't own. And it is for the better, it will make Edward & Bella closer.**

**So I apologize in advance if this chapter was way off the mark - I hope everyone enjoyed it anyway. Thank you as always for the reviews, you're all amazing! And more feedback is always appreciated. =)**


	22. Chapter 21: The Aftermath

_Chapter 21: The Aftermath_

When I awoke the next morning, I was in the soft, comfy bed in the guestroom of the Cullen house. For a moment, I lay there, dazed and amazed by the fact that I had slept through the entire night without any nightmares. But then the events of the previous evening came flooding back to me, and I pulled the covers over my head and tried to dive deep back into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

When I awoke again, this time in the early afternoon hours, I couldn't fall back asleep. I noticed that I was still in Alice's red dress, and wearily, I crawled out of the bed. It hurt to move and I was aware of the burning in my ribs. It was a painful reminder of everything that had occurred the night before.

I pulled the dress over my head, wincing, and found my old sweats and a t-shirt. I welcomed the soft, cottony comfort gratefully. I got back into bed, and leaned against the headboard. Everything hurt.

At that moment, there was a light tap on my door. I croaked out a very weak, "Come in" and was surprised at how raw my voice still felt. It was most likely from the screaming and I recoiled from the memory.

Alice opened the door very gently, as if it were fragile. She immediately came over to the bed and sat down next to me. I noticed then that she had the peach rose from the night before. She put it on the bedside table and it was then that I noticed the black rose was gone.

I looked at her wearily, trying to find the strength to give her a smile. But I couldn't. I grimaced in pain instead. She put a reassuring arm around me.

We sat. It was as if nothing had ever happened, as if the Cullens had never left, as if I'd never left the country, as if Victoria had never hunted me down, as if Angelo had never died. It didn't seem right.

"It means appreciation," Alice said quietly.

Despite the ache in my ribs, I shifted so that I could look at her fully. "What?"

"You asked what the peach rose meant last night," she gestured to it.

Leave it to Alice to carry over an irrelevant conversation from the night before.

"Appreciation?" I echoed.

"Appreciation," Alice confirmed, "as well as modesty, shyness, and desire."

I sighed. "I don't understand." I couldn't think straight, let alone decipher the meaning behind a rose.

"I believe he was looking for you last night to give you that rose because things between you two had been improving," Alice explained. "You know that sensation when two people in a relationship are healing? They are usually quite modest and a little shy. And the appreciation part is pretty obvious."

"And desire?" I whispered. I noted how Alice had explained it as "two people in a relationship", as if Edward and I were still in a loving, blossoming romance.

"Also self explanatory," she replied with a smile.

It was quiet for a moment as my mind turned.

"Alice," I said suddenly. "Why didn't you see Angelo…dying?" It was hard to state the ugly truth out loud.

"Because," Alice replied in the softest of voices. "He didn't decide to sacrifice himself until the moment he did."

I felt like someone was punching me in the gut over and over again. "It's not fair, Alice," I said hoarsely. "He shouldn't have had to die for me." I was almost angry, and surprised that any emotion could overcome the suffocating sadness I felt. "Why would he? He was this wonderful, prestigious man and I'm just a human, not even worth it…"

"Bella!" Alice said sharply. "Don't _ever_ say that. You _are_ worth it. And Angelo knew it. You can't think like that Bella; you can't make yourself crazy about it. What happened was awful, but it's over now."

I threw up my hands, my eyes burning with unshed tears. "Alice, I didn't know much about him, but I can only imagine! He was a wealthy, Italian man. Think of all that he's probably left behind!"

Alice was silent for a moment, before speaking in a very quiet voice. "I know you're probably thinking he's leaving this incredibly luxurious lifestyle behind. But Bella, truth be told, Angelo wasn't the happiest man."

I looked over at her immediately. "What do you mean?"

Alice readjusted her position so that she was facing me directly and I almost feared that she would fall off of the bed. "Well, you know that Carlisle had known him for a very long time. And when Carlisle met him hundreds of years ago, Angelo had just been changed and was having an extremely difficult time. He was a lot like our clan – he didn't feed on humans. He was very close to his family as a human – he had this typical, large, happy Italian family. And they thought he was dead. And so, most of Angelo's life, he was very lonely."

I listened carefully, feeling a tiny bit worse at the realization that Angelo's life was a sad tale.

"I mean, he did have a girlfriend here or there," Alice continued. "But he longed for a family and that is not so easily attainted for vampires. Even large clans like ours are generally unheard of. He also never fully got over losing his own family. He didn't like the fact that he 'outlived' his entire family, that he was there to watch every single one of them pass on normally."

Poor Angelo, I thought to myself. What a miserable way to live. Alice was silent for awhile, lost in her own thoughts, before something else occurred to me.

"Alice, after Victoria slapped me last night, what was that noise that made her freeze, then run away with me?"

Alice let out a dark chuckle. "Edward couldn't suppress a growl. And the sound you heard after that was me thumping him on the head."

I felt the corners of my mouth turn up in the slightest smile.

"And Bella, I saw the look you gave Edward after Victoria and Angelo disappeared," she mentioned. "Please don't hold it against him, Bella. I know you were hurt. But you were in shock too, and you could have hurt yourself. He was only protecting you."

I nodded feebly. Edward did a lot of that.

"It'll get better, Bella," Alice promised me, giving me one last squeeze and disappearing from the room. Sighing, I rolled over and lay down, facing the window.

This was the same window, with the same tree outside, where Angelo had sat and watched Victoria hover over my bed, just a few nights ago. The same window he had entered to save me. I realized now that he had saved me twice.

I should have felt relieved that Victoria was gone and that Charlie and I were safe. But I couldn't. All I could feel was overwhelming despair at Angelo's tragic end. All I could replay in my mind were his final moments. All I could hear in my ears were his cheers of victory and his farewell whisper, "For you, Isabella."

_For you, Isabella._

The wind stirred ever so slightly again and I curled deeper into myself, closing my eyes and trying to let the cool breeze calm me and distract me from the sobs that were forming in my throat.

I heard someone enter the room at that moment, and I wondered vaguely who it was. I was sure I would be getting a visit from each of the Cullens today. It was probably already late enough and I was probably causing a great deal of concern due to the fact that I hadn't left my room yet.

I pretended to sleep, not wanting to talk to anyone. I kept my ears open. I was sure my visitor was watching me carefully, trying to figure out if I was sleeping, or otherwise, what I was really doing.

I was almost positive it was Edward.

I heard him walk over to the side of the room where the window I was facing was, almost soundlessly. I sensed him kneeling right in front of me, and I knew that he knew I wasn't really sleeping. Unwillingly, I opened my eyes, meeting his astounding topaz ones.

My breath caught in my throat and seeing I was awake, he seemed satisfied. He got up and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat. I grudgingly sat up, scooting a little more into the center of the bed and crossing my legs. I waited for him to say what he wanted to say.

I was a bit surprised when his eyes turned dark and bitter and he said in a very quiet voice, "Don't you _ever_ say that you're not worth it, Bella. Don't you dare even think that."

I stared at him, appalled. "Do you always follow up on what I say or do?" I whispered.

"That's not the point," he said firmly, his eyes boring into mine. "I want you to remember something. Angelo gave you something very important last night, a gift even. He gave you your _life_. I say you life it to the fullest and stop dwelling on pointless, negative thoughts."

I didn't say anything and his eyes softened momentarily. "Do what you want to do, Bella. Take risks, be happy…" He moved to the edge of the chair, leaning towards me. "And give in," he said intently, and I knew he was talking about our relationship.

I moved farther back onto the bed, away from him.

"No, Bella," he whispered, looking defeated. "You don't have to run from me. I'm not forcing you to do anything. I'm just trying to make you see that life is short. Angelo's life was supposed to be eternal and even that was cut short."

"Because of me," I whispered brokenly.

"Bella, stop that!" Edward moved onto the bed next to me and took my hands in his. I let him. "Stop blaming yourself."

"Edward," I said, in a voice so fragile I wondered how it had even left my body. "I feel so lost and so miserable." I took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know about anything anymore. And last night…" I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to cry in front of him, "Made me question everything. I just need time."

"Let me help you," he squeezed my hands tightly, making me open my eyes and look at him.

I stared up at him, feeling the familiar butterflies and sense of wonderment. Before I could stop myself, I found myself saying, "Okay."

Edward nodded and I knew we were making some kind of progress.

"But Bella, last night at the ball…"

"Wasn't anything," I finished for him. "He was my friend, Edward." I slipped my hands out of his.

He nodded again. He was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Do you want to go to the funeral?" he asked me quietly.

I had completely forgotten about things such as funerals, having been so completely overwhelmed by actual death. And I knew there was no question about it. As much as I didn't favor funerals, I knew I would go. It was the least I could do, after he had given his entire life to save mine. I nodded wordlessly, my eyes drifting back to the window, where soft sunlight was streaming into the room.

"All right," Edward said. He leaned forward slowly and kissed me on the forehead. I felt myself shiver. And then he got up and left the room.

I lay back down and tried not to drown in the past – in what had been with Edward and most of all, what had happened to Angelo. I found myself thinking forward, to what would be my very last farewell to Angelo.

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**A/N: Thank you everyone!! And this isn't the end yet, there is still a little bit more to come. =)**


	23. Chapter 22: Finding Peace

_Chapter 22: Finding Peace_

And that was how I found myself back on a plane to Italy the very next day. The funeral wasn't scheduled until the day after that, but I was glad the Cullens decided not to wait until then to leave. I didn't know what I'd do for another day if I had to be trapped in Forks feeling the way I did.

I had to get in touch with Charlie and tell him that I would be home in a few days. He once again was a little skeptical, but he said it was fine. I was surprised at how cooperative he was being but I guess that to him, I sounded very much improved. He then proceeded to tell me that he had been hearing strange noises lately, and to be careful.

The funeral was heartbreaking, to say the very least.

I sat between Alice and Edward. Alice held my right hand and Edward held my left hand. And I didn't mind being smothered one bit. If they weren't there, I was sure I would fall apart.

The funeral took place on a beautiful mountain. The top was flat and rows upon rows of deep green chairs were arranged neatly, all facing a dark, wooden podium. There was a closed casket in front of the podium, a very light oak color. As soon as I saw it, I wanted to run away. Angelo's remains weren't there, but there was a casket, probably for show, since most of the people Angelo knew wouldn't be told the truth: that he was a vampire who died saving a human girl's life. And that there were no remains to speak of.

The view was breathtaking. The little mountain overlooked the city of Italy on one side, and many mountains and rolling hills on the other side. Although I hadn't known Angelo that well, I thought that he would have approved. There were so many people there, people of all ages, races, (and I'm sure a definite mix of humans and vampires).

There was someone there to lead the little ceremony. Not a priest, but obviously a close friend of Angelo's and a good public speaker. He went through blessings, songs, prayers (ironically enough), and comforting words. It was a funeral all right, but I was happy to see it slowly turn into an intimate celebration of Angelo and his life. There was a little keyboard set up and people who could play came up and did so. Other people came up and shared their fond memories – funny, inspirational, and serious.

There were even a few sing alongs and through these I learned something new about Angelo. Some of the songs were from the sixties and a few of his friends shared memories of a time, long ago and far away, when Angelo had led a revolution, with flowers in his hair and a guitar on his back. I realized that Angelo had been a hippie once. He had always believed in peace and love, he had always helped people.

I was slowly beginning to feel a tiny bit better.

The lead speaker took his place once more at the podium and asked, "Would anyone else like to come up?" I was surprised when Edward gave my hand a quick squeeze and stood up. I gaped at him.

He gracefully made his way the short distance to the keyboard (we were in the first few rows) and sat down on the forest green chair in front of it. He straightened up a bit, before laying his long, slender fingers on the keys and beginning to play.

Edward played a heartbreaking, beautiful song that I didn't recognize and I wondered if it was one of his own compositions. I watched and listened, unable to take my eyes off of him. Occasionally, he looked up at me and held my eyes with his, as if trying to convey a special message. He was slowly taking my breath away, healing my wounds, and killing me softly with his song.

I realized then that he hadn't known Angelo that well either, so I knew he was doing this not only for Angelo, but for me as well.

After he had finished, I joined in with the enthusiastic applause, and watched, dazed, as he gently touched the casket, and returned to his seat next to me. I looked at him in amazement, and I hoped he could see the gratitude in my eyes, although I couldn't force any words out of my mouth. He smiled softly, before turning to look back towards the front.

After the funeral was over, I remained in my seat. They had taken the casket away, and everyone else had filtered out, but I stayed where I was, completely alone. Even the Cullens had left for the time being. I sat in the green, wooden chair, vaguely aware of the beautiful landscape around me and the pleasant mountain breeze whistling through my hair. I sat, feeling the pain slowly melt away. It was still there of course, and would be maybe for a little while, but it was an improvement.

I had kicked off the heels and folded my legs under me, staring at the ground. I didn't want to leave here today feeling miserable. I wanted to leave at peace with what had happened, so that I could get back to my life and start anew. I believed that I had already taken the first step, somehow.

I let the tears I had been holding in for the past two weeks fall. No one was around anyway, and I had a feeling I would be here for at least a little while by myself. I didn't mind. I closed my eyes and thought of Angelo.

It was incredible. I had hardly known him; I had probably known him for a week. But he was one of those people that made you feel like you had known them forever in just a week, like they had been with you all along. He was funny, understanding, and brave. He bowed and trilled and waltzed. He didn't let people see his loneliness. I never would have guessed if Alice hadn't told me.

I heard a slight rustle in the grass, but I didn't care. Now that Victoria was gone, I didn't have any real threats. Not at the moment, anyway.

I felt a slight weight next to me and I wiped my face quickly. When I looked up I saw that it was Edward and I wasn't surprised. I looked back down at the green grass, blowing gracefully in the breeze. We didn't say anything for awhile.

I didn't want him to see my tears, and so I got up and moved out of the makeshift aisle, walking towards what had been the makeshift altar. I looked over the side of the mountain, feeling the soft grass under my feet. I wondered where Angelo was now. I wondered where vampires went when it was all over.

Edward followed me and I didn't realize it until he had taken my hand, and placed something firmly into it. Curiously, I looked down at my hands. It was a light pink rose and a dark pink rose tied together with a black satin ribbon.

Despite my grief, I was moved. I looked up at him questionably, asking him with my eyes what he was trying to say.

Edward's eyes never left mine. "A light pink rose stands for sympathy and a dark pink rose stands for thankfulness." He stopped for a moment and I waited.

"I want you to know that I'm sorry that last night happened the way it did. And I'm so…" he paused for a moment, and he voice grew husky with emotion. "I'm so thankful that you're alive, Bella."

I looked down at the beautiful roses that held an equally beautiful message. I felt the tears returning. "Thank you, Edward," I whispered, not sure how to convey how much it really did mean to me.

Unconsciously, I plunked down in the grass, and Edward sank down next to me. He sat with me, offering comfort in the simplest way: by just being there. And that was enough for me.

After what seemed like a very long time and a very short time all at once, Edward stood, helping me to my feet as well.

"Bella," he said quietly. "I want you to promise me something."

My eyes flickered away. I didn't want to say, "Anything", like I probably would have when I first met him, because I knew now that I couldn't promise just anything. Instead, I warily asked him, "What?"

"I want you to promise me that you'll heal," he said, standing closer to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked uncomfortably.

"I mean, that you will get over this in time and stop blaming yourself," he said.

Well, it's not like I had a choice. Wouldn't I have to do that eventually?

"Yeah," I muttered. "Okay."

Edward took my hand and began to pull me away from the funeral scene. I bent quickly to grab my roses, and a little ways away, my heels, and then I let him lead me away.

We had begun to descend the hill, when he stopped again. I looked around us and marveled how the view was just as beautiful halfway down the hill as it was on the very top.

"I just want you to know one more thing," Edward said, placing his finger under my chin and turning my head to look at him. I waited.

"When you're ready to let me back in," he said quietly. "When you're comfortable enough to let me do this…" He gently pulled me into his arms and I wanted to cry. I knew he knew that. "You know where to find me." I nodded quickly against his shoulder, afraid to lose my resolve. He pulled away and took my hand again, leading me the rest of the way down the mountain. I looked back up it one last time. The breeze made some of the funeral flowers scatter, dancing and twirling beautifully in the air. It reminded me of waltzing. And I swore at that moment I heard the faintest of laughter.

* * *

**A/N: This is not the end yet! And there isn't really anymore danger to come. I think these last few chapters will focus on Edward & Bella reuniting and her trusting him again. Aw I've had so much fun writing this, I don't want it to end =( Reviews are the greatest, and thank you to everyone who has already reviewed!**


	24. Epilogue: Hope

_Epilogue: Hope_

I didn't stay in Italy with the Cullens much longer. The remainder of the day after the funeral, Alice and Jasper took me sightseeing to try to lift my spirits and get my mind off of what had happened. And it worked. The next day, we flew back to Forks. I stayed at the Cullen house for one last night. I would return home the next day.

That night, I dreamed.

_I was back in Italy and it was wintertime._

_The city was covered in a blanket of shimmering snow, and icicles hung from every sturdy object, glittering in the moonlight. It was the perfect winter scene, but it wasn't cold at all. It was actually pretty warm out._

_There were many people all around and it reminded me of a street fair. Only this was not a traditional street fair, if it was a street fair at all. There were numerous people sitting on the sidewalks and the cobblestones, mostly young people, all of different races and nationalities. _

_They were all barefoot and dressed in vibrant colors. Both men and women wore their hair long and down, some with flowers in their hair, others with hemp or bandanas. Most wore bellbottom jean and some wore peasant skirts. A few men adorned Grateful Dead t-shirts. _

_Some had guitars and some had drugs. They were all singing and they were all happily at peace._

_These were hippies. But what were they doing in Italy in the wintertime?_

_I looked down at my own attire, and instantly felt self conscious. The people around me were dressed freely and I was wearing Jessica's black dress. I instantly felt discouraged, wondering if this was some kind of cruel joke, or twisted nightmare. The people around me were dressed casually and uniquely, and of course, I would be wearing my friend's cocktail dress that I had yet to give back._

_But it wasn't so bad, because I was also wearing my black converse. I slowly reached up to feel my head and felt many roses intertwined in my hair._

_I felt immensely happy walking through the streets that were brimming with love. I observed the laughing, singing, carefree people and longed to know their secret. But for the time being, I was content just being there, as a witness. Their joy was contagious._

_A figure appeared at the end of the street at that moment, a tall, lean man in bell bottoms and a tie-dyed vest. There was a lime green bandana wrapped around his forehead, and a flower behind his ear. He carried a guitar over his shoulder, one that was covered in peace signs and anti-war stickers. A chain hung around his neck, with a peace sign pendant hanging from it. _

_He was beautiful. His long hair was jet black and his skin was a smooth, olive color. He was obviously Italian. _

_He was obviously Angelo._

_Angelo, the hippie, walked towards me, strong and confident. And just when he was near enough that I could have touched him, he completely changed before my eyes. He was still as young as ever, only this time, he was in his black, evening suit. His hair was tied back and he was suddenly the elegant man that I had met just days before._

_He bowed and held out his hand. Dazed, I took it as the sixties music gently faded, and was replaced with a beautiful piano melody, one I recognized._

_He twirled me around the winter wonderland of the cobblestoned street, the hippies still on the street, singing silently, as if we weren't even there. It was as if Angelo and I had traveled to a completely different time zone. We waltzed carefully around the hippies._

_"Why are they all on the street tonight?" I asked him curiously._

_Angelo smiled a very nostalgic smile. "This was probably the happiest time of my vampire life. I wanted to show you a little piece of it."_

_I looked around at all the smiling faces and the freedom radiating from these people, and I understood exactly why it had been his happiest time._

_He was suddenly serious then, or as serious as he could get being Angelo. "Isabella," he said gently, his accent beautiful and thick. "Please do not be troubled by my death or the way it happened. I saved you and that makes all the difference. And so, I want you to promise me something."_

_More promises. "Okay," I said instantly. Promising Angelo something was the least I could do after he saved my life._

_"Live your life," he said with a kind smile. _

_I nodded. This I could do for him._

_"And," he added, his smile growing mischievous. "That boy – the one with the fun hair…," I found myself smiling. "He loves you very much and I think this is the time to trust him again."_

_"Okay," I promised._

_He twirled me around one last time. "You know what to do now," he told me, as he bowed one last time._

_"I do," I said, suddenly feeling very sad again. I clung to his hand, not wanting him to leave yet. "Angelo?" I asked him._

_"Isabella?"_

_"Thank you," I said simply. "For saving my life."_

_He smiled. "Anytime," he said with good humor, before bending and kissing my hand. He embraced me and I felt entirely at peace as I hugged him back. He then stood back and I watched in awe as he transformed back into Angelo, the hippie. He smiled and winked at me, before turning and disappearing down the cobblestoned street. _

I awoke the next morning to the faintest chords of music drifting through my door. I rolled over, straining to hear. It sounded so familiar, like the music in my dream, but I couldn't recall exactly what it was. I slipped out of bed and pressed my ear against the door. And then it came to me. It was my lullaby drifting up to me, being played on the piano downstairs.

I thought back to my dream and felt tears come to my eyes. They weren't really tears of grief anymore though. They were tears of inspiration, of a pain that was healing, of understanding, of remembrance, and of a thin layer of peace finally settling in my gut.

And that's when I knew what I had to do.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and made my way downstairs.

Edward sat at his piano bench, his back to me. There didn't seem to be anyone else around. I stood and watched him for a moment, mesmerized, listening to the beautiful song that was my lullaby.

After a few moments, he turned and saw me. I felt very awkward and almost wondered if I should run to the guestroom and crawl back into bed. But I stood my ground, remembering my dream.

He rose slowly, never taking his eyes off of my face. He took one step towards me, but didn't close the distance. I was still a few feet away.

He waited patiently, searching my face, while I twirled my thumbs and tried to justify why I was there. I felt almost uncomfortable.

"Remember…" I began, but couldn't finish, due to the ache that shot down my throat and constricted my voice, making it thick with tears. He nodded, encouraging me.

Why was this so hard? _Spit it out, Bella!_ I thought urgently.

I took a deep breath and began again. "Remember – the other day," I gulped down more tears, wanting to stay as collected as possible. "You told me that you would be here…" I squeezed my eyes shut. "…when I was ready?"

"Yes," he said softly.

I opened my eyes, feeling the tears falling, despite my efforts. "I had this dream," I whispered, folding my arms around myself, feeling suddenly very lost.

He held out his hand to me, urging me with his eyes to take the last few steps, to come to him.

It wasn't easy, but I did it. I took the last few steps, until I was standing right in front of him. Now that I was no longer angry, it felt so tense to be that close to him that I unconsciously dropped my gaze to the floor.

He took my face in his hands and gently forced me to look at him. "Bella?" he whispered. I stared at him. The full force of my beautiful dream was only now hitting me.

Edward switched places with me, sitting me on his piano bench and kneeling in front of me.

"Angelo was in my dream," I told him, my eyes wide and my voice low. "It was like he was really there, Edward." I paused, hoping I didn't sound crazy. Edward waited patiently for me to go on.

"And he was happy," I continued, my voice breaking. "He was a hippie at first, until he transformed into the Angelo we knew. He waltzed with me. He told me to live my life and he made me feel that it wasn't my fault." I dropped my voice to a whisper. "He told me to trust you."

Edward smiled the sweetest smile I had seen in a long time. He put his hands on my arms and I noticed that I was trembling. I could tell that he knew I was going to break.

I was still thinking of my dream, feeling so many things at once…sadness, relief, wonder, and so much more. "It was so beautiful, Edward," I whispered brokenly, before pressing a fist to my mouth and beginning to cry.

"Oh, Bella," he murmured gently, pulling me carefully off of the bench and into his arms. Out of habit, I resisted at first, before remembering his words after the funeral and Angelo's message in my dream.

I let him hold me, feeling almost grateful, not wanting to be stubborn anymore. I let him rub my back soothingly, as I cried every tear I'd banished since this whole ordeal had begun. For one frightening moment, I didn't know if I'd be able to stop.

From somewhere upstairs, I heard soft, beautiful music. I wasn't sure if it was intentional, or just someone listening to something, but it made me feel calm. Edward gently lifted me to my feet, his arms still firmly around me, as we began to sway gently.

I realized we were dancing.

I felt worn out, my bare feet scuffling on the floor. Edward lifted me onto his feet, just like he had at the ball when we had had our first real confrontation. That seemed so long ago now. And this time, I let him. I rested my head on his shoulder wearily.

After a few moments, he placed something in my hand, closing my fingers around it. I looked down and found myself smiling through my tears.

What else would it be but a rose? It was a beautiful purple rose. I looked up at him, waiting for him to tell me what it meant.

"Eternal love," he said quietly, with the slightest hint of a smile. I returned the smile.

"_Run away, but do not run so far that you lose sight of where you should be,_" he said suddenly, and my smile disappeared. I stared at him, wide eyed.

"I had so many dreams where Carlisle said that to me," I said, remembering. "What does it mean?"

"I believe that Carlisle was trying to tell you to run away from immediate danger," Edward explained. "Like Victoria. But to not run away so far that you lose sight of where you should really be. Like with me."

It made so much sense now.

"But you ran away from me anyway," Edward added with a small, sad smile.

"I'm not running anymore," I pointed out.

"And I'm never leaving again," Edward told me seriously, as we began to dance again.

"No matter how much I ran," I said. "You always followed."

"Of course I did. I'd follow you anywhere, Bella."

"Even on a midnight train to anywhere?" I asked cautiously.

"Even there." He smiled the crooked grin that I had always loved.

I put my head back onto his shoulder and felt my tears drying. I clung to the purple rose tightly, while he held me tightly.

And I knew at that moment that anything was possible. Bad things happened and miracles overrode that. Things changed and sometimes, times seemed desperate. But despite all of that, everything would be okay.

I was going to survive.

_The End_

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**A/N: That was the end. And now I'm kinda sad. I had soo much fun writing that, and I want to thank everyone who read it. And also, thank you to everyone who reviewed - your reviews seriously motivated me. I thought about continuing this, but this seemed like the perfect place to end it. I am definitley going to write more stories, but I'm wondering if I should do a sequel to this particular story. Throw some more drama and love in there. That seems like a plan to me =)**

**Again, thank you everyone! =)**


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